Meta faces $25 billion penalty in New Mexico over Facebook data privacy

Meta faces a $25 billion penalty in New Mexico after a jury found Facebook misled users about data protection, marking one of the largest privacy-related judgments against a tech company. The September 2026 jury verdict found 26 of 29 challenged statements misleading and held Meta liable for 43,899,725 willful violations of state law. Although the theoretical maximum could reach $219.5 billion, the judge set the penalty at $25 billion, which Meta plans to appeal. The case stems from the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal, which exposed data from up to 87 million Facebook users. Under New Mexico law, collected penalties fund education, and Meta has previously faced major settlements including $5 billion in 2019 and $725 million in 2022-23.