Meta Faces Potential $219 Billion Fine After New Mexico Privacy Loss
A jury found Meta violated New Mexico law in 34 statements. The final penalty will be determined by a state judge.
Meta faces a potential civil penalty of up to $219 billion after a New Mexico jury found the company violated state law through deceptive statements about speech and data privacy policies.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez will ask for the maximum penalty in the state case. The jury found Meta responsible for most of the 34 statements identified in the verdict, with alleged violations occurring between 1.3 million and 2.1 million times. Each violation carries a possible fine of up to $5,000.
The final amount will be decided by Francis Mathew, a judge in New Mexico’s First Judicial District Court. The $219 billion figure represents the theoretical maximum, not a judgment that has already been imposed.
Meta disputed the verdict and plans to continue defending the case. The company invoked First Amendment protections while arguing that it has the right to manage its platforms in ways it believes protect free speech, user information and control over personal data.
The case stems from the 2018 disclosure that a quiz application collected information from Facebook users and their friends. The data involved about 87 million user profiles and was used by Cambridge Analytica in connection with Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Meta has previously paid about $6 billion in related settlements.
