New Mexico Jury Finds Meta Deceived Facebook Users on Data

A jury in the US state of New Mexico concluded that Meta deceived Facebook users regarding how their personal information was collected, protected, shared, and used. The verdict stems from a case linked to the fallout of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Jury Verdict Details

The decision came Friday following a trial lasting approximately two weeks in Santa Fe. The lawsuit was filed by the state in 2021 after revelations that political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica obtained personal data from up to 87 million Facebook users via a third-party application.

According to the New Mexico Department of Justice, the jury found that Facebook committed 43,989,725 violations of the state’s Unfair Practices Act. This determination followed the assessment that the company’s statements concerning user privacy and data handling were "false or misleading."

Scope of Misleading Claims

The litigation addressed assertions that gave users the impression they controlled how their information was shared. It also covered claims about the platform’s management of misinformation and hate speech, as well as the enforcement of community standards against users.

Furthermore, the case examined promises made by the company to investigate external applications that had accessed large volumes of user data after the Cambridge Analytica incident. These commitments included banning developers who misused data and notifying individuals whose information might have been affected.

Potential Financial Penalties

The ruling has not yet specified the amount of financial penalties, with the court scheduled to determine this figure at a later stage. New Mexico law permits civil fines of up to $5,000 for each intentional violation.

This statutory framework suggests the case could expose the company to billions of dollars in sanctions, although the final amount will be decided by the judge. In response, Meta stated it disagrees with the jury’s decision and affirmed its intention to continue defending its position in the matter.