In brief
In a landmark ruling, a New Mexico federal judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion for misleading the public about its handling of Facebook user data. The penalty follows a two‑week trial that uncovered coordinated lies by senior executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, and stretched beyond Facebook to other core business practices. While the court originally calculated a $219 billion penalty, it capped the fine at $25 billion, making it the largest ever imposed on a tech giant. Meta has faced multiple fines and settlements this year, underscoring a growing regulatory crackdown on data privacy violations.
The U.S. tech giant behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp has been slapped with a record penalty for deceptive data practices.
A New Mexico federal judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion after a two‑week trial found the company had intentionally lied to the public about how it handled Facebook user data.
“The lies extended beyond Facebook’s data practices,” Judge Francis Mathew said, adding that the deception reached the “heart of Meta’s core business.”
The fine is the largest ever imposed on Meta. The company has already agreed to settle several lawsuits this year, including an $18 billion deal with California.
Exclusive communications between top executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, were deemed designed to mislead the public, the judge wrote. The court had originally calculated a $219 billion penalty based on thousands of violations of state law, but capped the fine at $25 billion.
Meta has not yet issued a comment.
Sources: U.S. federal court docket, Meta corporate releases.
