GoKawiilNew Mexico judge orders Meta to pay $25 billion over privacy misstatements
A judge in New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in penalties after a Santa Fe jury found the company violated the state's Unfair Practices Act with misleading statements about user privacy, data handling and content moderation. The jury had identified 43 million violations, which could have totaled roughly $219 billion at maximum penalty rates, but Judge Francis Mathew set the final figure at $25 billion, below the state's $35-40 billion request and above Meta's proposed $3.45 billion cap. Meta says it will appeal, and the funds, which accrue 15 percent annual interest until paid, are earmarked for New Mexico's school system.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The ruling marks one of the largest state-level penalties against a tech company for privacy-related conduct, and the judge's pointed language about 'willfully ineffective' remediation and 'intentional and systematic' misstatements could embolden other states to pursue similar claims rather than join multistate settlements. Meta's framing of the penalty as 'a tax on speech' signals the company intends to fight the decision on constitutional grounds, which could shape how far state unfair-practices laws can reach into platform disclosures. The outcome may also influence how aggressively state attorneys general pursue individual lawsuits against large tech firms going forward.
- A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion for misleading privacy statements, not for the Cambridge Analytica harvesting itself.
- A jury found 43 million violations of the state's Unfair Practices Act, with the penalty set well below the theoretical $219 billion maximum.
- Meta plans to appeal, calling the penalty 'a tax on speech,' while the money, plus 15 percent annual interest, is designated for New Mexico schools.
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Published there as: “Meta ordered to cough up $25 billion in New Mexico privacy case”
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