A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion for violating the state's Unfair Practices Act by misleading users about its data handling, in a case tied to the Cambridge Analytica scandal that began in 2021. The penalty follows a jury verdict in Meta's favor for the state in September, and Meta says it will appeal. The company's chief legal officer called the ruling an effective tax on speech that would make doing business in New Mexico unworkable.
wired.com
· 2026-10-23
A New Mexico judge imposed a $25 billion civil penalty on Meta after a jury found the company committed nearly 44 million violations of the state's Unfair Practices Act. The case stemmed from Meta misleading users about data privacy practices connected to the Cambridge Analytica scandal tied to the 2016 presidential election. Meta had sought to cap penalties at $3.45 billion but failed, though the final sum is far below the $219 billion some estimates had floated.
cnet.com
· 2026-10-22
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.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-21
A court has ordered Meta's Facebook to pay $25 billion in civil penalties after a New Mexico jury found nearly 44 million violations of the state's Unfair Practices Act. The case stemmed from the Cambridge Analytica scandal and challenged Facebook's statements to users about its data practices and handling of misinformation and hate speech.
nmdoj.gov
· 2026-10-21
Following a late-September jury verdict finding Meta violated New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act with misleading privacy statements tied to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, state attorneys have asked a judge to impose penalties of $35 billion to $40 billion. The jury found 26 of 29 examined Meta statements misleading, translating into roughly 43 million consumer-law violations based on the New Mexico Facebook users who saw them. Meta is urging the court to cap penalties at $3.45 billion, arguing no residents were shown to have actually been misled, with a ruling expected later this month.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-02
A jury in State of New Mexico v. Facebook, Inc. found that Meta's Facebook violated the state's Unfair Practices Act more than 43 million times, tied to misleading statements about its data practices during the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Jurors determined Facebook misrepresented how it shared user data with third parties, profited from misinformation and hate speech while claiming to combat it, and made false statements about its internal Cambridge Analytica investigation. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced the verdict, which could expose Meta to significant financial penalties.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-30
A jury in New Mexico ruled that Meta violated the state's Unfair Practices Act, finding 26 of 29 examined statements about user data protections were misleading, amounting to more than 43 million violations based on affected users. The case, brought by the state attorney general in 2021, also concerned Meta's response to the 2013 Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which data from tens of millions of Facebook users was harvested via a personality-quiz app and used for targeted political ads in 2016.
tech.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-26
A New Mexico jury ruled that Meta violated the state's Unfair Practices Act, finding it misled residents about privacy protections and how it handled misinformation. The case stemmed from a 2021 lawsuit tied to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which Facebook user data was harvested and used for political ad targeting during the 2016 election. A judge has not yet determined the penalty Meta will face.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-25
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