New Mexico jury finds Facebook liable for privacy deceptions

A New Mexico jury found Facebook liable for roughly 43–44 million privacy deceptions, with penalties of up to $5,000 each.

A New Mexico jury found Facebook, now Meta, liable for misleading consumers about data privacy under the state's Unfair Practices Act in a case tied to Cambridge Analytica. SecurityWeek reported more than 43 million violations affecting the state's entire population of more than 2 million, while The Record reported nearly 44 million; both say each violation can draw up to $5,000, which SecurityWeek calculates could exceed $200 billion and The Record describes as billions. Jurors found Meta falsely claimed users controlled sharing and that Facebook did not buy or sell private data to advertisers, and that promised Cambridge Analytica follow-up—app investigations, forensic audits, cutting off abusive developers, and user notices—was not completed after a quiz harvested roughly 87 million profiles. The outlets diverge on content-related findings: The Record said statements about hate speech, misinformation, and community standards were willfully deceptive, while SecurityWeek said the jury rejected claims that Facebook misled users about removing harmful content. A judge will set penalties, with SecurityWeek citing an Oct. 1 hearing; Meta disputes the verdict, and New Mexico also seeks changes to Facebook's privacy practices. SecurityWeek additionally cited an $18 billion multistate child-safety settlement and $942 million in prior New Mexico judgments against Meta this year.

• On 2026-09-28, a New Mexico jury found Facebook (Meta) liable for deceiving consumers about data privacy under the state's Unfair Practices Act / consumer-protection law.
• Violation counts differ: SecurityWeek says more than 43 million violations affecting the state's entire population of more than 2 million; The Record says nearly 44 million violations.
• Each violation carries up to $5,000; SecurityWeek says the total could exceed $200 billion, while The Record says billions. A judge will set penalties, with SecurityWeek citing an Oct. 1 hearing.
• The case stems from Cambridge Analytica, in which a third-party quiz harvested data from roughly 87 million Facebook profiles. Jurors found promised follow-up—investigating high-access apps, forensic audits, cutting off abusive developers,…
• Jurors found Meta falsely claimed users controlled sharing and that Facebook did not buy or sell private data to advertisers.
• Sources disagree on content claims: The Record says statements on hate speech, misinformation, and community standards were willfully deceptive; SecurityWeek says the jury rejected claims that Facebook misled users about removing harmful…
• Meta disputes the verdict, points to updated policies, and will defend. New Mexico also seeks court-ordered changes to Facebook's privacy practices.
• SecurityWeek separately noted an $18 billion multistate child-safety settlement and $942 million in earlier New Mexico judgments against Meta this year.