Meta ordered to pay New Mexico $25 billion for deceiving users about privacy on Facebook
A judge set the penalty after a jury found Meta liable in a case tied to Facebook user privacy; Meta said it would appeal.
TL;DR
- A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion after a jury found the company misled users about privacy on Facebook.
- The case followed allegations that Cambridge Analytica obtained personal data from millions of Facebook users without consent.
- Meta said it would appeal, so the amount and timing of any payment remain subject to further court proceedings.
A New Mexico judge ordered Meta Platforms to pay $25 billion after a jury found the company had misled consumers about Facebook privacy, Reuters and the Associated Press reported. The judgment followed a state lawsuit first filed in 2021. [1] [2]
The case arose from allegations that Cambridge Analytica obtained Facebook users’ personal data through a third-party app without their consent. New Mexico accused Meta of misrepresenting data access and the platform’s handling of harmful content and misinformation. [1] [2]
The state’s law allows penalties of up to $5,000 per violation, with proceeds directed to New Mexico’s school system, according to Reuters. The $25 billion award reflects the judge’s ruling on the jury’s findings, rather than a settled payment. [1] [2]
Meta said it disagreed with the ruling and planned to appeal. The appeal could take years and may alter the amount or liability findings, so the ultimate payment and timing remain unsettled. [1] [2] [3]
Why it matters
The judgment makes privacy-related legal exposure financially material for a large platform, while the appeal means the award is not yet a final cash outflow. The case also revives scrutiny of how platforms describe data practices after third-party access.
Editor's note
The judgment is reported by AP and Reuters; the penalty remains subject to Meta’s announced appeal.