Meta: What You Need to Know

Meta Hit with $25 Billion New Mexico Penalty

Meta was slapped with a $25 billion penalty by a New Mexico court on Wednesday. The fine stems from a Cambridge Analytica data‑privacy case that began over a decade ago. A Santa Fe jury in September found Meta liable for misleading state citizens about data safeguards. The jury said Meta committed more than 43 million violations of New Mexico’s unfair practices act. Each violation could carry up to $5,000, but the judge capped the total at $25 billion. The state originally sought $219.5 billion, but the court reduced it dramatically. Meta previously settled similar lawsuits for $17 billion nationwide and paid $725 million in 2022. New Mexico’s former Attorney General Hector Balderas filed the suit in 2021, and current AG Raúl Torrez oversaw the trial. Torrez also led a separate child‑safety case that resulted in a $375 million jury award earlier this year. Meta says it will appeal the $25 billion ruling and the $567 million public‑nuisance abatement fund.