Meta ordered to pay $25 billion penalty over the Cambridge Analytica case

A judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $25 billion for misleading users about how it handled their data and for failing to prevent misinformation on Facebook.

The ruling could be the largest penalty in Meta’s history.

Last month, Meta settled a child-safety lawsuit brought by a group of US states for $18 billion.

The New Mexico case focused on Meta’s handling of user records that Cambridge Analytica used for campaign purposes during the 2016 election. “Facebook’s wrongdoing—over the course of years and systematically broadcast to the public—goes to the heart of Facebook’s core business practices,” Judge Francis J.

Mathew wrote in the ruling. “It relates to the way in which Facebook induces people onto the platform and ultimately keeps them there.” Meta’s next move remains unclear.

The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.