Judge orders Meta to pay $25 billion to New Mexico in Cambridge Analytica-era privacy case

A judge in New Mexico ordered Meta Platforms to pay $25 billion to the state after a jury found the company misled consumers in a data-privacy case tied to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, according to a report published Tuesday by The Guardian.

The case centers on allegations that a political consulting firm involved with Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign obtained information from millions of Facebook users without valid consent, and that Meta misrepresented key details to the public, the report said. The jury verdict addressed Meta’s conduct toward consumers, rather than directly establishing criminal liability, the report said.

The Guardian reported that the New Mexico judge issued the payment order on Wednesday following the jury’s findings. The magnitude of the ordered payment makes it one of the largest state privacy penalties tied to the broader Cambridge Analytica disclosures.

The litigation is part of a wider pattern of state and federal scrutiny of social-media companies’ data practices after revelations that third parties harvested personal data from Facebook profiles beyond what many users believed they authorized.

In New Mexico, the court action followed the jury’s conclusion that Meta misled consumers, according to the report. The finding places a spotlight on how platform disclosures and privacy representations are evaluated in state consumer-protection frameworks.

The ordered payment’s practical effect would be felt through state finances and the eventual handling of any further legal proceedings, though the Guardian report did not detail post-judgment timing or whether appeals were filed.

The case also renews attention to the political-security and consent issues raised during the 2016 election cycle, where campaign-era investigations and civil litigation have alleged improper data access by third parties connected to that period.