A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in penalties after finding the company misled residents about the privacy of their data. The Meta privacy ruling is one of the largest penalties ever leveled against a tech company, and it traces back to a case filed in 2021.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez welcomed the decision. “It has been a long time coming holding Big Tech accountable,” he said at a press conference.
What the Case Was Actually About
The lawsuit was not directly about the data harvested by Cambridge Analytica. Instead, it targeted Facebook’s statements over the years about user data, privacy settings, and content moderation.
In September, a Santa Fe jury found that Meta violated New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act by misleading residents on those issues. The jury counted 43 million violations. At up to $5,000 per violation, the maximum possible penalty came to about $219 billion.
How the Judge Arrived at $25 Billion
The state asked for $35 billion to $40 billion. New Mexico attorney Randi McGinn argued the court “should speak to Meta in the only language it understands, which is money, and the value of its stock price.” Meta requested no more than $3.45 billion.
Judge Francis Mathew settled on $25 billion. He did not hold back in his ruling, describing Facebook’s promised post-scandal investigation as “willfully ineffective” and noting “the clear intentional and systematic nature of Facebook’s repeated misstatements.”
Why the Ruling Matters Beyond New Mexico
The Meta privacy ruling carries weight far beyond one state’s borders. It signals that courts are willing to attach a hard dollar figure to years of misleading statements about how user data is handled.
The scale of the penalty stands out. Meta had argued for a figure no higher than $3.45 billion, and the final judgment came in at more than seven times that amount. For a company of Meta’s size, $25 billion is still a substantial sum, and the 15 percent annual interest means the cost climbs the longer the appeal drags on.
The ruling also reframes the Cambridge Analytica era. That scandal broke years ago, and many observers assumed its legal consequences had largely played out. This verdict shows that the fallout is still unfolding, and that state-level consumer protection laws can be used to pursue damages that federal actions did not deliver.
Where the Money Goes
The penalty will go to New Mexico’s school system, with interest accruing at 15 percent a year until it is paid in full.
Meta Plans to Appeal
Meta has said it will appeal the decision. Chief legal officer C.J. Mahoney called the penalty “a tax on speech.”
An appeal could take years, and it leaves the final figure uncertain. For now, the judgment stands as entered, and the interest clock is running.
A Separate Case From the State Settlements
This lawsuit is separate from one Meta recently settled with nearly every other US state over child safety concerns. That settlement included nearly $459 million specifically for Cambridge Analytica data harvesting claims. New Mexico skipped that settlement, which opened the door to this trial.
What Comes Next
Meta’s appeal will determine whether the $25 billion figure holds. Until then, the Meta privacy ruling remains a landmark moment in the long legal aftermath of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and a clear message that misleading users about privacy carries real financial risk.
