Meta ordered to pay 25 billion dollars over data privacy deception

A judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay 25 billion dollars in civil penalties on October 21 for misleading users about their data privacy. CNET, SiliconANGLE, and Deadline all reported that the penalty follows a trial concerning violations of the state Unfair Practices Act. The decision marks one of the largest financial penalties ever levied against a technology company. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

According to Deadline, state District Court Judge Francis J. Mathew issued the ruling following a jury trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico. SiliconANGLE reported that the jury found the company guilty of deceiving its users regarding how it protects and uses their data. CNET reported that the jury found Facebook liable for nearly 44 million individual violations. [1][2][3]

The legal action traces back to data privacy violations involving Cambridge Analytica and the 2016 presidential election. CNET and SiliconANGLE both noted that the case stems from privacy failures stretching back up to ten years, when Meta operated as Facebook. [1][2][3][5][7]

CNET reported that the historic judgments and settlements do not appear to be slowing the corporate privacy practices of Meta, which operates Facebook, Instagram, and other digital platforms. [1]