New Mexico judge orders Meta to pay $25 billion over data privacy violations

A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta Platforms Inc. to pay $25 billion in civil penalties to the state after a jury found the company repeatedly misled the public about its data privacy practices. The lawsuit, brought by Attorney General Raúl Torrez, identified nearly 44 million willful violations of New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act through 26 public statements made between 2010 and 2021. This ruling follows previous trials where New Mexico won $942 million over claims Meta concealed teen mental health risks, and Meta recently settled a separate case with other state attorneys general for up to $17 billion regarding social media's harms to teenagers.