Judge orders Meta to pay $25bn in fines for Facebook privacy violations

A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in fines following a jury's finding that the company misled Facebook users about their data privacy. State District Judge Francis Mathew issued the ruling after a jury determined Meta was responsible for over 43 million violations of New Mexico's consumer protection laws. The state had accused Meta of deceiving users regarding access to their personal information and the handling of harmful content. Jurors found 26 out of 29 statements made by Meta and its leadership on privacy and content moderation to be misleading. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez stated the substantial verdict, one of the largest state verdicts against a company in U.S. history, sends a clear message to Silicon Valley. The awarded funds are designated for the state's education system.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has been ordered by a New Mexico judge to pay a $25 billion fine. This penalty, the largest ever imposed on Meta, stems from a two-week trial that concluded the company had for years misled the public regarding its handling of Facebook user data. The judge stated these deceptions were central to Meta's core business practices. The lawsuit originated from Meta's involvement in the Cambridge Analytica scandal and accusations of intentionally misleading the public about its profit from hate speech content and the enforcement of related rules. Meta's head lawyer, CJ Mahoney, indicated the company plans to appeal the ruling, expressing confidence in a successful outcome.

Meta Platforms has been ordered to pay a US$25 billion civil penalty to the state of New Mexico. The fine, issued by state court Judge Francis Mathew, is in response to a consumer deception case stemming from the Cambridge Analytica scandal. A jury found that Meta violated New Mexico's consumer protection laws over 43 million times due to deceptive statements about its handling of hate speech and user data. The trial focused on claims that Meta misled Facebook users about its privacy policies and data practices following the Cambridge Analytica leak. This penalty is one of the largest verdicts in US legal history and follows previous large settlements Meta has made regarding the Cambridge Analytica scandal. New Mexico had previously won a jury verdict against Meta concerning the impact of Facebook and Instagram on teen mental health.