Meta fined $25 billion for misleading users about personal data

A U.S. court has ordered Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, to pay a $25 billion fine after finding the company misled users about the protection of their personal data. The decision was issued on October 21 by a judge in the state of New Mexico following a trial tied to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

The jury found that Meta committed more than 43 million violations of consumer protection laws and concluded the company had misrepresented who had access to user data and how those data were used. The court had initially calculated that potential penalties could exceed $219 billion before the judge reduced the amount to $25 billion.

Company response and legal next steps

Prosecutors said the misleading information from Meta persisted for years. Meta announced it will appeal the ruling, stating that the decision is "legally unfounded" and that the imposed penalty is "disproportionate." Because the company has appealed, the final sum it may be required to pay remains uncertain.

The case is tied to the Cambridge Analytica episode in which data from some 87 million Facebook users were improperly harvested and used. That scandal was central to the legal proceedings that culminated in this New Mexico judgment.

Under New Mexico law, if the verdict becomes final and the fine is collected, the funds are to be allocated to the state’s education system.

Photo: press material from the event