{
  "id": 15938477,
  "title": "Meta ordered to pay $25 billion in Cambridge Analytica case",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/meta-ordered-to-pay-25-billion-in-cambridge-analytica-case",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-21T19:27:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "DW English (Top Stories)",
    "slug": "dw-english-top-stories",
    "url": "https://www.dw.com/en/meta-ordered-to-pay-25-billion-in-cambridge-analytica-case/a-79726486?maca=en-rss-en-top-1022-xml-mrss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has been ordered to pay $25 billion to the US state of New Mexico, according to a recent verdict. The decision comes after a jury found Facebook to have deceived its users regarding privacy and content moderation. Judge Francis Mathew noted that Facebook had misled users by claiming they controlled their data, which was untrue. The case stems from the 2016 Cambridge Analytica scandal, where a third-party app obtained data from 87 million Facebook profiles and sold it to the UK political consulting firm. The data was then used for targeted ads, including those for Donald Trump's presidential campaign. While nearly all US states settled with Facebook for a total payment of $18 billion in August, New Mexico refused to settle and filed a lawsuit against the company. Prosecutors argued that Facebook had deceived the state's population of 2.1 million people through its public statements on privacy and allowed the spread of misinformation and violent content. Facebook's legal team countered by stating that New Mexico had not proven that users were harmed by the company's statements and highlighted the platform's robust content moderation. Despite this, a jury found Facebook liable for over 43 million violations of New Mexico's consumer protection laws. The $25 billion fine, while lower than the demanded $35 billion to $40 billion, is significantly higher than the $3.45 billion cap suggested by Meta's lawyers. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez emphasized that the fine sends a clear message to Silicon Valley, noting that the money will likely remain tied up due to appeals but will ultimately go towards funding education in the state.",
  "summary": "A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta Platforms to pay a $25 billion civil penalty following a jury verdict regarding the Cambridge Analytica scandal. According to the South China Morning Post, State Court Judge Francis Mathew issued the fine after a jury determined Meta violated the state’s consumer protection laws over 43 million times. The case centered on allegations from Attorney General Raul Torrez that the company made deceptive statements to users regarding its privacy policies, data handling, and content moderation decisions.\n\nThe Guardian US reports that the jury found the company misled consumers after data was obtained without consent by a political consulting firm involved in Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The South China Morning Post notes that the jury viewed video deposition testimony from CEO Mark Zuckerberg and former COO Sheryl Sandberg during the two-week trial.\n\nThe South China Morning Post describes the award as one of the largest verdicts in US legal history. Under New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act, Judge Mathew was authorized to issue penalties of up to $5,000 per violation. The Hill reports that the ruling follows the jury's finding that the company was liable for misleading users about its privacy and content policies.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/15938477.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Deutsche Welle Science",
        "title": "Meta ordered to pay $25 billion in Cambridge Analytica case",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/meta-ordered-to-pay-25-billion-in-cambridge-analytica-case-15939840",
        "published": "2026-10-21T19:27:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}