{
  "id": 15936440,
  "title": "Meta ordered to pay New Mexico $25 billion after jury finds it deceived Facebook users about privacy",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/meta-ordered-to-pay-new-mexico-25-billion-after-jury-finds-it",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-21T17:27:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Economic Times Tech",
    "slug": "economic-times-tech",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/meta-ordered-to-pay-new-mexico-25-billion-after-jury-finds-it-deceived-facebook-users-about-privacy/articleshow/135097554.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A jury has found Meta liable for deceiving Facebook users about privacy and content moderation policies on the platform, ordering the company to pay the state of New Mexico $25 billion. Judge Francis Mathew ruled on the amount, which is $10 billion less than the state's initial demand of $35 billion to $40 billion. The case stemmed from Cambridge Analytica harvesting Facebook user data to generate targeted political ads during the 2016 election.\n\nForty-eight other states had previously settled with Facebook in a nationwide case, but New Mexico opted to take the company to court. Meta argued for paying no more than $3.4 billion, claiming that a larger sum would violate due process, be unconstitutional, and not withstand an appeal. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez stated that the $25 billion will go into a state fund for education.\n\nFacebook attorneys argued that the state had failed to prove misleading statements about privacy and that content moderation actually harmed New Mexicans. However, the jury found over 43 million violations of state law after assessing the company's misleading statements 34 separate times. Meta plans to appeal the verdict in hopes of reducing the number of violations and, consequently, the total financial penalty.",
  "summary": "Jurors in September found Meta liable for over 43 million violations of New Mexico consumer protection laws when a political consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica, harvested Facebook user data to generate targeted political ads for the 2016 election.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 8,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CNBC",
        "title": "Meta ordered to pay $25 billion penalty in New Mexico Cambridge Analytica case",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/meta-ordered-to-pay-25-billion-penalty-in-new-mexico-cambridge",
        "published": "2026-10-21T17:22:43.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Fortune",
        "title": "New Mexico took on Meta alone and won a $25 billion judgment over Facebook’s privacy violations",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/new-mexico-took-on-meta-alone-and-won-a-25-billion-judgment-over",
        "published": "2026-10-21T18:33:36.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Live Mint",
        "title": "Meta Platforms ordered to pay $25 billion in New Mexico consumer data protection case",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/meta-platforms-ordered-to-pay-25-billion-in-new-mexico-consumer-data",
        "published": "2026-10-21T18:33:46.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Verge",
        "title": "Meta ordered to pay $25 billion in penalties over the Cambridge Analytica scandal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/meta-ordered-to-pay-25-billion-in-penalties-over-the-cambridge",
        "published": "2026-10-21T19:02:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "TechCrunch",
        "title": "Meta ordered to pay $25 billion in case related to Cambridge Analytica scandal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/meta-ordered-to-pay-25-billion-in-case-related-to-cambridge-analytica",
        "published": "2026-10-21T19:42:32.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Tom's Guide",
        "title": "Meta told Facebook users their data was safe. Now it's facing a $25 billion penalty.",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/meta-told-facebook-users-their-data-was-safe-now-its-facing-a-25",
        "published": "2026-10-21T19:43:43.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Record",
        "title": "Meta on the spot for $25 billion under New Mexico privacy ruling",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/meta-on-the-spot-for-25-billion-under-new-mexico-privacy-ruling",
        "published": "2026-10-21T20:25:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}