Meta ordered to pay $25 billion to New Mexico

A jury in New Mexico ordered Meta, the owner of Facebook, to pay $25 billion after finding the company liable for deceiving users about privacy and content moderation. Judge Francis J. Matthew wrote that Facebook promised users they controlled their data, which was false. The jury counted more than 43 million violations of the state’s consumer‑protection laws, including about 2.1 million violations on specific counts. The fine is the largest ever against Meta.

Cambridge Analytica scandal

The case stems from the 2016 Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which a third‑party quiz harvested data from roughly 87 million Facebook profiles and sold it to the political‑consulting firm, which used it to target ads for Donald Trump’s campaign. New Mexico was the only state, along with Florida, that did not join an $18 billion settlement that released Meta from future liability over the breach. State prosecutors had initially sought between $35 billion and $40 billion, while Meta’s lawyers argued a maximum of about $3.4 billion.

The $25 billion award will be directed to New Mexico’s education fund, and the state has said the money could help build schools for the next 100 years. Meta has said it will appeal the verdict, and the company’s stock rose 2 % after the announcement. The ruling signals that state governments are prepared to hold large tech firms accountable for privacy and content‑moderation practices, adding to a series of legal challenges facing Meta and similar companies.