New Mexico court orders Meta to pay $25 billion in Cambridge Analytica privacy case

A New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $25 billion on Oct. 21 in a data-privacy case stemming from the Cambridge Analytica scandal. CNBC reports that the penalty was revealed in a court filing after a September jury verdict.

The Santa Fe jury found Meta liable for misleading New Mexico residents about how it safeguards and collects user data and prevents harmful information from flourishing on its services, according to CNBC. It found more than 43 million violations of the state's unfair practices act. The judge, rather than the jury, determined the final penalty.

CNBC reports that Judge Francis Mathew wrote in the filing that “Facebook did not conduct the comprehensive investigation that it promised” after the Cambridge Analytica revelations. According to CNBC's account, the filing also specifies 15% annual interest until the penalty is paid.