New Mexico judge orders Meta to pay $25 billion in fines for privacy violations, marking the largest penalty ever imposed on the tech giant. The ruling follows a jury finding Meta misled users about data control and content moderation, with the fine set to go to the state's education fund.
A New Mexico jury found Meta responsible for over 43 million violations of consumer protection laws, with Judge Francis Mathew stating Facebook's claims about user data control were false. The $25 billion fine is lower than the $35 billion sought by prosecutors but exceeds the $5 billion fine from the Federal Trade Commission in 2019.
Meta plans to appeal the verdict, arguing the fine is excessive and could impact its stock price. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez called the ruling an 'unambiguous message' to Silicon Valley, emphasizing the state's commitment to holding tech companies accountable for privacy and content issues.