Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, has been ordered to pay a groundbreaking $25 billion civil penalty to the state of New Mexico. A judge issued the ruling after a state jury found the social media giant liable for deceiving consumers about its data privacy policies.
The penalty stems from a lawsuit claiming the company misled users for years regarding the misuse of personal data and content moderation on Facebook. This consumer deception case was spurred by the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
This fine is the largest to date against the owner of Facebook, exceeding a previous $18 billion deal with California. It stands as one of the largest penalties ever levied against the tech giant.