Meta ordered to pay New Mexico $25 billion for deceiving users about Facebook privacy

A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay the state $25 billion after a jury found the company liable for deceiving users about Facebook's privacy and content moderation policies, PBS NewsHour reported.

The verdict represents the largest fine ever against the owner of Facebook, according to CBS News, with the jury concluding that Meta misled consumers for years regarding data privacy, including false claims about control over information sharing and not selling personal data to advertisers.

The case originated from allegations involving the Cambridge Analytica scandal, where data from roughly 87 million Facebook profiles was harvested and sold to a political consulting firm, ABC News detailed.

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez called the verdict a clear message to Silicon Valley that the state will hold tech companies accountable, and noted that fines from consumer protection violations will be used for state education spending.

Meta has stated its intention to appeal the verdict, with its Chief Legal Officer expressing confidence in prevailing on appeal and criticizing the ruling as an attempt to impose new rules on online speech.

Following the announcement, Meta's shares traded 2% higher as the company prepared to report quarterly earnings, according to ABC News.