Meta Fined $25 Billion by New Mexican Court for Violating Privacy During Cambridge Analytica Scandal 

On Wednesday, the New Mexico Department of Justice announced that the state is issuing a $25 billion penalty against Meta for the company’s violations of New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act. A jury verdict found that Meta committed 43,899,725 violations of New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act during the Cambridge Analytica scandal after examining the company’s statements and practices concerning third-party access to personal data, user privacy violations, and the company’s handling of harmful content. 

New Mexico’s fine is not the only consequence Meta will face for its violations of user privacy during the Cambridge Analytica scandal. In 2022, Meta agreed to pay $725 million to settle a class action lawsuit regarding the company’s mishandling of 87 million users’ data. In August, Meta settled a number of data privacy lawsuits linked to Cambridge Analytica as part of a sweeping settlement with a coalition of state attorneys general for nearly $17 billion in another federal case related to youth safety and mental health, with $459 million for claims related to Cambridge Analytica.  

EPIC has long advocated for stronger data privacy standards online, greater accountability for companies who design online platforms in harmful ways, and robust enforcement against companies who violate consumer privacy rights.