In brief
The parent of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp was ordered to pay $25bn in a New Mexico court that found the company deliberately misled the public about its data practices. The judge said the deception went beyond Facebook’s data handling to core business operations. Earlier this year Meta faced several penalties, including an $18bn settlement with California. Internal emails with senior executives were deemed designed to deceive consumers. The original penalty of $219bn was reduced to $25bn. Meta has not yet responded to a comment request.
Meta, the parent of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has been fined $25bn ($18.6bn) by a New Mexico judge for long‑duration deception about user data handling.
The decision followed a two‑week trial that concluded Meta repeatedly lied to the public about how it treated personal information on its platforms.
The judge said the deception ran beyond Facebook’s data practices and reached the core of Meta’s business model.
Earlier this year Meta faced several legal penalties, including an $18bn settlement with California and other lawsuits.
Internal communications, featuring senior executives such as Zuckerberg, were described as deliberately misleading.
The judge initially assessed a penalty of $219bn based on state law violations but cut it to $25bn.
Meta has not yet responded to a request for comment.
