Meta ordered to cough up $25 billion in New Mexico privacy case

A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion after a jury found that Facebook misled state residents about privacy, user data and content moderation. The ruling is a major penalty in a case linked to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, though the lawsuit focused on Meta’s statements and practices rather than directly on data harvested by the firm.

A Santa Fe jury counted 43 million violations of New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act, with a maximum possible penalty of about $219 billion. The state sought $35 billion to $40 billion, while Meta argued for no more than $3.45 billion; the judge set the penalty at $25 billion. The money is due to support New Mexico’s schools, with interest accruing at 15 per cent a year, and Meta says it will appeal.