Meta ordered to pay $25bn to New Mexico over data misuse

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 20:02 · Archive

A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta to pay $25 billion after a jury found the company misled consumers over data privacy. The case arose from allegations that Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm involved in Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, obtained data from up to 87 million Facebook users without their consent through a third-party app.

New Mexico's attorney general sued Meta in 2021 over the revelations. The state accused the company of lying to Facebook users in the state about who had access to their data, how Meta handles hate speech and misinformation on the platform, and other internal policies. Meta knew that third parties had broad access to users' personal data and tolerated harmful content when it benefited the company, the state alleged.

On 25 September, jurors found that 26 of 29 statements made by Meta and its leadership on those issues were misleading. They said the company had committed over 43 million violations of New Mexico's consumer protection laws, based on the number of Facebook users or New Mexico residents who were the audience for each misleading statement. Judge Francis Mathew found that a penalty of over $219 billion was warranted under state law but reduced it to $25 billion. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

How it is being reported

• Meta fined for misleading New Mexico on data privacyMeta has been ordered to pay billions to the state of New Mexico after it was found to have used consumers' information illegally ahead of the 2016 election.Perth Now · 21 Oct, 19:29
• Meta fined for misleading New Mexico on data privacyMeta has been ordered to pay billions to the state of New Mexico after it was found to have used consumers' information illegally ahead of the 2016 election.The West Australian · 21 Oct, 19:29

In this story: Meta · New Mexico · Cambridge Analytica · Donald Trump · Facebook

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