Meta deceived Facebook users about privacy protections, jury finds
This marks Meta’s second major loss to New Mexico this year.
Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images
- A New Mexico jury found Facebook misled users about privacy protections and data-sharing practices.
- The jury found more than 43 million consumer protection violations, with penalties still undecided.
- The case stems from Cambridge Analytica, where data from about 87 million profiles was harvested.
- Meta disagrees with the verdict and says it will continue defending its record.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Facebook was found liable for misleading users about its privacy protections and data-sharing practices by a jury in New Mexico on Friday.
The jury found more than 43 million violations of the state’s consumer protection law, with penalties to be determined by Judge Francis Mathew. Each violation could carry a fine of up to $5,000.
New Mexico’s Attorney General Raúl Torrez is pushing for the maximum penalty, although the exact amount hasn’t yet been decided. Torrez said the state will also ask Mathew to order Meta to correct past misstatements and audit how it handles user data.
“The verdict marks a significant victory for New Mexico consumers and holds one of the world’s largest technology companies accountable for its conduct,” the New Mexico Department of Justice said in a statement to AP News.
The trial, which began on September 8th, stems from the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Facebook was accused of misleading users about its privacy protections after data from around 87 million profiles was harvested through a third-party personality quiz and then passed to Cambridge Analytica for targeted advertising.
The firm, which shut down in 2018 following a major data privacy scandal, used Facebook data for voter profiling and helped Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
The jury also found that Facebook misled users about its investigations into other third parties that collected user data, and that it published deceptive statements about protecting the data of New Mexico’s population.
A Meta spokesperson said the company doesn’t agree with the verdict and will continue to defend itself “against efforts to distort our record.”
“Meta’s platforms are forums for free expression,” the spokesperson said. “We have a First Amendment right to manage those platforms in a way we believe best serves the interests of our community. This means prioritizing free speech, protecting our users’ information and giving them control over their data.”
Facebook’s lawyers also argued in closing statements that the state relied on outdated evidence and had identified only one data breach despite years of investigation.
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This is Meta’s second major loss to New Mexico this year, following a trial over young users’ safety on its Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp platforms. Meta was ordered to pay $375 million in civil penalties, followed by an additional $567 million to address harms to young people.
New Mexico also declined to join a recent multistate settlement in which Meta agreed to pay several states $459 million to resolve their Cambridge Analytica-related claims, allowing the state’s case to proceed to trial.
