New Mexico judge fines Meta $25 billion over Cambridge Analytica data privacy case

A judge in New Mexico has ordered Meta Platforms to pay the state $25 billion after finding the company intentionally misled consumers about data privacy, a ruling linked to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The lawsuit, filed in 2021, accused Meta of lying to users about who accessed their data and its handling of hate speech and misinformation. Judge Francis Mathew said a penalty exceeding $219 billion was warranted under state law but reduced it to $25 billion, which New Mexico's attorney general called one of the largest single-state verdicts in U.S. history. Meta's chief legal officer said the company will appeal, arguing the ruling makes business in New Mexico impossible. Meta also faces thousands of other lawsuits, including over teen mental health and child exploitation, and recently settled related multistate claims for $17 billion.