Facebook could face billions of dollars in civil penalties after a New Mexico jury found the platform violated state consumer protection law nearly 44 million times.
The September 25 verdict identified 43,899,725 violations tied to Facebook’s statements about user privacy, data practices, content moderation and its handling of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
The scandal involved personal information collected from as many as 87 million Facebook users through a third-party app, and its legal consequences are still affecting parent company Meta years later.
Jurors found that Facebook made misleading claims about how much control users had over their personal information and how that data was shared with third parties. The jury also found problems with statements about Facebook’s response to Cambridge Analytica, including promises to investigate developers, ban apps that misused data and notify affected users.
New Mexico is seeking the maximum penalty allowed under state law. With fines potentially reaching $5,000 per violation, the theoretical total could exceed $219 billion, although the final amount will be determined by a judge.
The verdict also covered Facebook’s claims about misinformation, hate speech and how consistently it enforced its platform rules.
Meta disputes the findings and says it will continue defending its record. Its lawyers argued that the state presented company statements out of context and maintained that Meta does not sell users’ personal information.
The verdict adds to the growing legal pressure surrounding Meta’s privacy, data protection and platform practices.