A New Mexico jury delivered a significant blow to Meta on Friday, determining that Facebook deliberately misled its users regarding the protections the platform had in place to safeguard their personal data.
The verdict identified more than 43 million violations of the state’s consumer protection statutes. A judge will now determine the financial penalty, with state attorneys pushing for the maximum allowed fine of $5,000 per violation — a figure that could result in an astronomical payout.
The New Mexico Department of Justice called the outcome a landmark moment for consumers, saying it holds one of the most powerful technology companies in the world accountable for its actions.
The two-week trial held in Santa Fe centered on the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which a third-party personality quiz application harvested data from approximately 87 million Facebook profiles. That data was then sold to the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, which used it to build targeted advertising campaigns, including for Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential run.
Jurors concluded that Facebook’s public statements about protecting user data were deceptive and affected every one of New Mexico’s more than two million residents. The panel also found that Facebook misled the public about how it investigated third-party app developers following the Cambridge Analytica revelations.
Out of 34 statements reviewed by the jury concerning data privacy and content policies, Facebook was found to have deceived users in nearly every instance. The jury did side with Facebook on one issue, finding the state failed to prove the company made false claims about removing harmful content such as COVID-19 misinformation.
Meta spokesperson Alex Burgos pushed back on the outcome, saying the company disagrees with the verdict and will continue to defend its record. During the trial, Facebook’s legal team argued that the state’s evidence was outdated and that prosecutors could only identify one additional data breach despite years of investigation.
The sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled, and it will be up to state officials to determine how any collected funds are distributed. New Mexico is also seeking a court injunction to prevent similar conduct going forward.
This verdict comes amid a wave of legal challenges facing Meta. The company recently agreed to pay up to $18 billion to resolve a multistate lawsuit over child safety concerns. New Mexico was the only state to opt out of that settlement and pursue its own case, after the agreement included a clause releasing Meta from future liability tied to the Cambridge Analytica breach. Earlier this year, New Mexico also won judgments totaling $942 million from Meta in a separate trial focused on the company’s protections for minors.