Panah Press | Thursday, October 22, 2026
A judge in the US state of New Mexico has ordered Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to pay $25 billion in civil penalties to the state. The ruling was issued on Wednesday, October 21, after a jury found that Meta had misled the public in several of its statements about user data protection and the operation of its social media platforms.
The case is also linked to the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal. The company was accused of gaining access to the personal data of approximately 87 million Facebook users through a third-party application and using it to develop targeted political advertising. In its lawsuit, New Mexico officials accused Meta of misleading users about access to their personal information and how the platform handled hate speech and misinformation.
On September 25, the jury found that Facebook had made 26 of the 29 statements examined from the company and its executives in a misleading manner. The jury also identified approximately 43.9 million violations of New Mexico’s consumer protection law.
In its initial calculation, the judge considered a penalty of more than $219 billion based on the statutory maximum for each violation. However, the final ruling reduced the penalty to $25 billion.
Meta has opposed the ruling and announced that it will appeal. The company argues that the court’s decision affects its freedom of speech and business operations. Given the possibility of an appeal, the final outcome of the case could still change in subsequent judicial proceedings.
According to published reports, the penalty money will be allocated to a fund supporting the educational needs of schools and students in New Mexico. In addition, annual interest of 15 percent will accrue on the penalty until it is paid in full.
Source: Reuters
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