New Mexico jury finds Facebook liable for deceiving users in privacy case

A New Mexico jury on September 25, 2026, found Facebook liable for deceiving users regarding privacy protections on the social media platform. The judge will determine the penalty amount, with state attorneys seeking a maximum of $5,000 per violation. The trial in Santa Fe focused on allegations that Facebook misled users about a data breach linked to a third-party personality quiz that collected data from approximately 87 million profiles and sold it to Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm that worked with the 2016 campaign for President Trump. Jurors agreed with prosecutors that Facebook's failure to safeguard user data affected New Mexico's population of over 2 million. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez stated, "For years, Facebook operated as if the rules that apply to everyone else didn't apply to them. Today, a jury of New Mexicans said otherwise." The jury also found that Facebook misled the public regarding investigations into data brokers following the Cambridge Analytica incident, resulting in over 2 million violations. During closing arguments, Facebook's lawyers argued that the state's evidence was outdated and that New Mexico had not identified more than one other instance of a data breach despite five years of investigation. A Meta spokesperson expressed disagreement with the verdict and emphasized the company's commitment to free speech and user data protection. In August, Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle a multistate lawsuit concerning child safety issues, which included a clause releasing the company from future liability related to the Cambridge Analytica breach. New Mexico is the only state pursuing this case, while Florida opted out of the settlement, citing its leniency. Earlier this year, New Mexico secured judgments totaling $942 million from Meta regarding safety protections for minors and mandated the implementation of new safeguards, including age-verification technology and platform time limits. Torrez warned technology companies operating in New Mexico that they would be held accountable for misleading users about data usage.