Meta Hit with $25 Billion New Mexico Fine

A New Mexico judge just slapped Meta with a $25 billion penalty, the biggest ever against the tech giant. District Judge Francis Mathew issued the ruling on Wednesday. A jury found the company misled users in more than 43 million privacy violations. Jurors said 26 of 29 privacy and content‑moderation statements were false. Attorney General Raul Torrez called the verdict a signal to Silicon Valley. He said every dollar will fund New Mexico schools. The award dwarfs the FTC’s 2019 five‑billion‑dollar fine against Facebook. Meta’s lawyer Matt Nicholson warned a $40 billion bill would be shocking to the conscience. Chief legal officer C.J. Mahoney said the company is confident it will win on appeal. Torrez added the money will flow into a state education fund. A March jury also ordered Meta to pay $375 million in civil penalties and $567 million for teen mental‑health programs. “This judgement should be a signal, an unambiguous message to Silicon Valley,” Torrez said.