New Mexico Judge Orders Meta to Pay $25 Billion in Facebook Privacy Case
What Happened
A New Mexico judge ordered Meta Platforms to pay $25 billion after a jury found the company misled Facebook users about data privacy and related platform practices. Jurors concluded that Meta committed more than 43 million violations of state consumer protection laws and found 26 of 29 disputed statements misleading. The case stemmed from allegations linked to the Cambridge Analytica data-harvesting scandal. The judge said state law could have supported a penalty exceeding $219 billion but reduced the award to $25 billion. Meta said it plans to appeal.
Key Takeaways
The ruling represents one of the largest financial penalties imposed on a U.S. corporation and underscores ongoing legal scrutiny of how major technology companies handle user data and communicate privacy practices. The case is not final because Meta has announced plans to challenge the judgment on appeal.