New Mexico wants Meta to pay up to $40 billion in penalties after data privacy trial

New Mexico has requested a judge to order Meta Platforms to pay between $35 billion and $40 billion in penalties following a jury finding that the company misled consumers about data privacy on Facebook, stemming from the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The lawsuit claims Meta misinformed users about data access, handling of hate speech and misinformation, and internal policies.

The jury found 26 out of 29 statements made by Meta and its leadership misleading, resulting in over 43 million violations of New Mexico's consumer protection laws. Meta argued the penalties were disproportionate to the case, while New Mexico's lawyers want a significant payment that will impact the company's stock price, representing about 20% of the potential penalties.