A New Mexico jury delivered a stinging blow to Meta on Friday, finding Facebook liable for deceiving its users regarding privacy protections during the infamous Cambridge Analytica scandal. After a two week trial in Santa Fe, jurors determined that the social media giant misled the public about a massive data breach where a third party personality quiz harvested information from roughly 87 million profiles. That data was subsequently sold to the now defunct political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica to fuel highly targeted advertising campaigns, including those for Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential bid.
The scale of the ruling is significant, as jurors concluded that Facebook’s failures impacted every single resident of New Mexico. State prosecutors argued that the company operated under the impression that standard rules did not apply to them, leading to over two million individual violations. Now, the fate of the financial penalty rests with a judge, though attorneys for the state are pushing for the maximum fine of 5,000 dollars per violation. This victory follows several other legal setbacks for Meta in New Mexico this year, including nearly a billion dollars in judgments related to child safety protections.
Meta has pushed back against the verdict, stating through a spokesperson that they disagree with the findings and intend to keep defending themselves against what they call distortions of their record. The company leaned heavily on First Amendment arguments throughout the proceedings, claiming they have a constitutional right to manage their platforms in ways they believe best serve their community while prioritizing user control over data. They further argued that the evidence presented by the state was outdated and lacked sufficient breadth beyond a few specific instances of breaches.
New Mexico stands as perhaps the most aggressive challenger to Meta among U.S. states. While most others agreed to an 18 billion dollar settlement earlier this year involving child safety—a deal that shielded Meta from future liability regarding Cambridge Analytica—New Mexico refused to let go of its claims. Attorney General Raul Torrez described the result as a historic win for accountability across all fifty states, warning any tech corporation doing business in his jurisdiction that lying about data usage will lead to severe consequences.
