A New Mexico jury found Facebook liable for deceiving users about privacy protections and misleading the public about data-broker investigations, finding more than 2 million violations. A judge will set the penalty; state attorneys seek up to $5,000 per violation.
Jurors also found Facebook’s failure to protect users’ data affected New Mexico’s entire population, more than 2 million people. The trial centered on a third-party personality quiz that harvested data from roughly 87 million profiles; that data was sold to Cambridge Analytica for targeted ads. Clients of the now-defunct firm included Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Meta said it disagreed with the verdict and would continue defending its record, adding that free-speech issues featured prominently. In August, Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion in a multistate child-safety settlement that included an agreement to release it from future liability related to the Cambridge Analytica breach. New Mexico was the only state to pursue the privacy case.
