New Mexico court finds Meta deceived social media users over data sharing and platform rules

Verdict Reached

A court in Santa Fe decided that Meta Platforms deceived state residents by hiding how user details went to outside groups. The legal battle began after reports showed a political consulting firm linked to Donald Trump's 2016 election bid collected details from millions of Facebook users without asking them.

State Claims and Jury Findings

State lawyers stated that the social media giant lied about sharing personal information and enforcing rules against hate speech and fake news. Jurors looked at 29 specific statements and decided 26 of them were deceptive. The jury found over 43 million violations, linked to the number of people impacted by the misleading remarks.

Penalties and Next Steps

Judge Francis Mathew will now decide the fines, with state law allowing up to $5,000 for each violation. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez stated his office will ask for the maximum penalty and push for court orders requiring Meta to fix past statements and audit its data practices. Meta officials disagreed with the outcome, stating the firm has a right to manage its platforms for free expression.