A jury in New Mexico has found that Meta misled state residents about its handling of user data, hate speech and misinformation in a case linked to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
The verdict was delivered Friday after a two-week trial in Santa Fe over a lawsuit filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez in 2021. The state accused Meta of making misleading statements about how it protected users’ information and enforced its platform policies.
The case followed revelations that Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm associated with Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, had obtained personal information from as many as 87 million Facebook users through a third-party application.
Jurors found 26 of 29 statements identified by the state to be misleading. The findings covered statements concerning user data, hate speech and misinformation, while jurors rejected some of the state’s claims regarding Meta’s efforts to remove harmful content and its fact-checking practices.
Meta said it disagreed with the verdict and would continue defending itself against what it described as efforts to distort its record.
“Meta’s platforms are forums for free expression,” a company spokesperson said, adding that the company has a responsibility to protect users’ information and give them control over their data.
Torrez said the case showed how Meta’s public statements about its platforms differed from the way the company handled user data and content moderation.
The jury’s findings could expose Meta to significant civil penalties. The state says more than 43 million violations are involved, based on the number of people affected by the misleading statements.
Under New Mexico law, the court can impose a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation. Judge Francis Mathew will determine the penalties following the jury’s findings.
Torrez said his office would seek the maximum penalty and could also ask the court to require Meta to correct previous statements and audit its handling of user data.
Meta has argued that the state’s case relied on selected portions of its statements without sufficient context. The company has also denied that it sells users’ information.
The verdict is the second major case involving Meta to reach a jury in Santa Fe this year.
In March, another jury found Meta liable for misleading New Mexico users about the safety of children on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp and ordered the company to pay $375 million in civil penalties. A subsequent ruling increased the amount payable to a state fund for teen mental health to $567 million and imposed measures aimed at protecting young users in New Mexico.
The latest case returns attention to the privacy issues exposed by the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the continuing legal scrutiny of Meta’s handling of user data.
