New Mexico jury finds Facebook liable for misleading users on privacy protections

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico jury on Friday found Facebook liable for deceiving users about privacy protections on the social media platform. The judge will determine the amount the company must pay, with attorneys for the state seeking the maximum penalty of $5,000 per violation. The two-week trial in Santa Fe focused on allegations that Facebook misled users regarding a data breach linked to a third-party personality quiz that collected data from approximately 87 million profiles and sold it to the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, which was involved in generating targeted ads for the 2016 campaign of Donald Trump. Jurors agreed with prosecutors, concluding that Facebook's failure to safeguard user data affected New Mexico's population of over two million people. They also found that Facebook misled the public about investigations into data brokers following the Cambridge Analytica incident, resulting in the company being held liable for over two million violations. During closing arguments, Facebook's lawyers contended that the state's evidence was outdated and that New Mexico had not identified more than one other instance of a data breach despite having five years to gather evidence. In August, Meta, Facebook's parent company, agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle a multistate lawsuit concerning child safety issues. The settlement included a provision releasing Meta from future liability related to the Cambridge Analytica breach, making New Mexico the only state to pursue a case. Florida was the only other state that did not sign the settlement, citing concerns that it was insufficiently stringent on Meta. Earlier this year, New Mexico secured judgments totaling $942 million from Meta in a two-phase trial regarding the company's safety measures for minors. Additionally, the court mandated Meta to implement new safety protocols, including age-verification technology and time limits on its platforms.