Meta ordered to pay $25 billion in New Mexico privacy case

A judge in New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay $25 billion following a jury verdict that found the company liable for deceiving consumers about its data privacy policies and content moderation practices on Facebook. The penalty stems from a legal case connected to the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, which became public in 2018. According to reports, the court reduced an initial request of $219.5 billion, determining the $25 billion penalty was justified based on numerous violations.

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez characterised the verdict as one of the largest, if not the largest, single state verdict against the company in American history. In his order, Judge Francis Mathew wrote that Facebook's wrongdoing occurred systematically over years and was broadcast to the public, going to the heart of the company's core business practices.

The jury found that Meta's internal inquiry into the violations was ineffective and that the company had failed to meet commitments made following the 2018 scandal. The court determined that Meta had deceived residents about data privacy measures and how it managed harmful content on its platform.

According to legal experts cited in reports, Meta has a strong chance of getting the penalty reduced or overturned on appeal, suggesting the company is likely to contest the decision in higher courts. The verdict represents a significant legal setback for the social media giant in one of the largest privacy-related cases brought by a single state.