New Mexico judge poised to impose massive civil penalties on Meta for privacy deception

In Santa Fe, a state judge will soon determine the civil penalties Meta Platforms must pay after a jury found Facebook liable for 26 false or misleading privacy statements. Special prosecutor Randi McGinn asked Judge Francis Mathew to levy a substantial fine under New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act, citing over 43 million individual violations. The verdict was based on a data-breach scandal involving a third-party personality quiz that collected data from roughly 87 million profiles and sold it to a political consulting firm.

While the jury originally calculated a massive monetary award, McGinn requested the court reduce it to a fraction to address due-process and constitutional concerns. Meta's attorney Matt Nicholson argued the proposed fine is excessive and unconstitutional, noting the lack of proven actual harm to New Mexicans. The judge is expected to issue a ruling within the next two weeks.