A jury in Santa Fe, New Mexico, finds Facebook, now part of Meta, liable for deceiving users about how the company protected personal data. Multiple outlets report the jury determined the company violated New Mexico consumer protection law on a large scale, with jurors citing tens of millions of misleading statements tied to privacy matters.
The case centers on the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the data breach it prompted. PBS NewsHour and others describe how a third-party personality quiz harvested data from about 87 million profiles and transferred it to Cambridge Analytica to support targeted political ads. Sources say jurors also concluded Meta made misleading statements about its investigation and response to the incident and its handling of third-party app access to user information.
Outlets differ in emphasis and framing. Some reports focus on the number of violations the jury found—more than 43 million—while others highlight specific categories of statements, including representations about privacy protections and Meta’s response to the scandal. Courthouse News notes Facebook’s defense that New Mexico’s evidence was outdated and that the state failed to identify additional comparable instances.
After the liability finding, a judge considers civil penalties and any required remedies, with the state seeking maximum penalties based on the verdict’s counts.
