A judge in New Mexico has ordered Meta Platforms company to pay $25 billion after a jury found the company had cheated consumers about data privacy. The issue relates to claims that British political consultancy company Cambridge Analytica had provided, without the consent of users, the personal data of millions on Facebook.
New Mexico General Prosecutor Mexico had indicted Meta in 2021 following the discovery that Cambridge Analytica, which was involved in Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016, had collected personal data of up to 87 million Facebook users through a third party app.
The state accused Meta of cheating Facebook users in New Mexico over people who had access to their data, the way the company dealt with hate speech and dezinforms on the platform, as well as other domestic policies.
According to New Mexico authorities, Meta was aware that the third parties had broad access to personal data of users. The company was also accused of condoning hate speech and other harmful content when they brought financial benefits.
The jury found millions of violations
On September 25th, the jury found that 26 of the 29 statements made by the company and its leaders regarding these issues were deceptive.
Jury members determined that Meta had committed more than 43 million violations of the laws to protect consumers in New Mexico. The number of violations was calculated on the basis of the number of Facebook users or residents of this state who had been the audience of each fraudulent statement.
The law of New Mexico envisions fines of up to $5,000 for each violation. All penalty revenues will go towards this state’s educational system, Reuters writes.
During a session on October 1st, state lawyers demanded that the fines reach between $35 billion and $40 billion. Meanwhile, Meta demanded that the amount be limited to $3.45 billion, arguing that a higher punishment could discourage businesses from operating in this country.
The company denied that it had sold the users’ data and claimed the state had not testified that any consumers were actually deceived.
Second Major Decision Against Meta in New Mexico
This is the second important court ruling against Meta within six months in New Mexico.
In the first process, completed in March, a jury at Santa Fe found Meta cheating users regarding the safety of youth on Facebook platforms, Instagram and WhatsApp. As a result, the company was ordered to pay $375m in civil fines.
After a second phase of that process, the judge ordered the company to pay $567 million in a New Mexico fund for teen mental health.
Meta was also forced to implement additional measures to protect new users on Facebook and Instagram in this state.
These decisions add legal pressure to the technology giant on how he handles personal data and the safety of users of his platforms.
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Source Layer: Signal
