A New Mexico court has ordered Meta to pay a $25 billion penalty for failing to inform users about the Cambridge Analytica data harvest and making misleading statements about the breach, according to a report by Tagesschau. The state’s attorney general launched the lawsuit in 2021, contending that the tech giant violated state privacy laws 43 million times.
Meta Fined 25 Billion Dollars for 43 Million Privacy Violations
The penalty stems from a 14-day trial in which a jury found Meta guilty on 43 million counts of violating New Mexico data privacy laws. State prosecutors argued that the company neglected to notify roughly 90 million users whose data was gathered without their knowledge or consent during the Cambridge Analytica scandal that first emerged in 2018. Judge Francis J. Mathew determined the financial penalty, applying a calculation of $5,000 for each individual violation that initially totaled $215 billion before the reduction to $25 billion.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez praised the ruling, calling it a warning to other technology conglomerates that the state will hold them accountable for corporate misconduct. Tagesschau reports that the $25 billion sanction ranks among the largest corporate penalties in American history. Meta posted a net profit of over $60 billion for the 2025 fiscal year. The company also paid $17.1 billion earlier this year to settle claims with 47 US states regarding the intentional endangerment of minors.
Meta faces severe punishment for Facebook data harvest
Cambridge Analytica ceased operations approximately eight years ago following the 2018 whistleblowing revelations that exposed the firm’s harvest of Facebook user data. While the political consultancy filed for insolvency and disappeared shortly after the scandal broke, legal liabilities for parent company Meta continue to compound. The New Mexico verdict marks one of the most severe post-scandal punishments handed down to the social media platform by a state regulator.
Meta defended its platform operations during the trial, but state prosecutors maintained that misleading public statements compounded the initial privacy failures. The legal battle in New Mexico has outlived the consultancy at the center of the breach, proving that state-level enforcement actions can pursue tech platforms years after a high-profile data leak.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Meta Privacy Penalty
How many times did Meta violate privacy laws according to the New Mexico court?
A jury found Meta guilty of 43 million distinct violations of New Mexico privacy statutes following a 14-day trial.
What was the original total calculation before the judge reduced the fine?
Judge Francis J. Mathew evaluated the penalty at $5,000 per violation, which initially summed to $215 billion before being reduced to $25 billion.
When did the state of New Mexico file the lawsuit against Meta?
The state’s attorney general initiated the legal proceedings against the tech company in 2021.