Meta has been ordered by a state judge in New Mexico to pay $25 billion to the state after a jury concluded that the social media corporation engaged in a multi-year campaign to deceive consumers regarding its data privacy policies and protections. Judge Francis Mathew issued the financial penalty, which New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez characterized as a historic legal outcome for corporate accountability.
Attorney General Torrez emphasized the magnitude of the decision, noting it stands as one of the largest, if not the absolute single largest, state-level legal verdicts ever handed down against a corporation in United States history. In his ruling, Judge Mathew pointed to a systematic approach by the company, writing that these communications formed part of a coherent strategy designed to mislead the public.
The litigation originated from widespread allegations that Facebook misled its user base regarding a massive data security breach. The incident involved a third-party personality quiz application that improperly harvested personal data from approximately 87 million user profiles. This collected information was subsequently transferred to Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm, which utilized the data to generate targeted advertising campaigns.
Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the release of the judge’s decision. The ruling marks a major development in ongoing legal scrutiny surrounding corporate data handling practices and consumer protection enforcement by state attorneys general.
