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World · October 21, 2026

Meta must pay New Mexico $25 billion, its biggest fine ever, for deceiving users about Facebook privacy

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A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta to pay a record $25 billion civil penalty after a jury found the company misled users about data privacy practices during the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The ruling, described by New Mexico's Attorney General as a warning to the tech industry, stems from 2021 litigation alleging the social media giant violated state consumer protection laws by misrepresenting user control over personal data.

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Reported across the spectrum

  • Meta was ordered by a judge to pay $25 billion to the state of New Mexico.
  • The penalty is the largest fine ever against the company and one of the largest state verdicts in history.
  • The case involves the Cambridge Analytica scandal and user data privacy deception.
  • A jury found the company liable for violating consumer protection laws in a September verdict.
  • The ruling was handed down on Wednesday by Judge Francis Mathew.

Reported by only some outlets

  • Under the New Mexico Constitution, the penalty funds will be used for state education and school construction.
  • The jury specifically found over 43 million violations of the state's Unfair Practices Act.
  • Senior leadership, including Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, were cited as part of a strategy to mislead the public.
  • The data breach involved the harvesting of information from approximately 87 million profiles.
  • New Mexico first filed the lawsuit against Facebook in 2021.

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