A New Mexico jury on Friday found Facebook liable for deceiving users about privacy protections on the social media platform, according to CBS News. The two-week trial in Santa Fe centered on accusations that Facebook deceived users about a data breach stemming from a third-party personality quiz that harvested data from roughly 87 million profiles and sold it to Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm, to generate targeted ads.
Jurors sided with prosecutors, finding Facebook’s failure to protect users’ data impacted New Mexico’s entire population of more than 2 million people. The jury also found Facebook misled the public about investigations into data brokers following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, finding the company liable for over 2 million violations.
It is now up to the judge to determine how much the company would pay, with attorneys representing the state asking for the maximum $5,000 penalty per violation.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez called it “a historic verdict, not just for New Mexico, but for every state fighting to hold Big Tech accountable,” noting that “for years, Facebook operated as if the rules that apply to everyone else didn’t apply to them.”
A Meta spokesperson told CBS News the company disagreed with the jury’s verdict and will continue to defend against “efforts to distort our records.” The company argued that free speech issues “featured very prominently” in the case and claimed it has “a First Amendment right to manage those platforms in a way we believe best serves the interests of our community.”
This verdict is particularly significant because New Mexico refused to sign a multistate settlement that Meta agreed to in August, which included an agreement to release Meta from future liability related to the Cambridge Analytica privacy breach. Florida was the only other state that did not sign the settlement, saying it was not tough enough on Meta.
Earlier this year, New Mexico won judgments totaling $942 million from Meta in a two-phase trial about the company’s safety protections for minors. The court also ordered Meta to implement new safeguards, including age-verification technology and time limits on its platforms.
Torrez stated: “Let this be a warning to every technology company doing business in our state. If you lie to New Mexicans about how you use their data, we will find out, and we will hold you accountable.”
Key facts
- A New Mexico jury found Facebook liable for deceiving users about privacy protections related to the Cambridge Analytica data breach
- The data breach affected roughly 87 million profiles, with data sold to Cambridge Analytica for targeted political advertising
- Jurors found Facebook liable for over 2 million violations affecting New Mexico’s population of more than 2 million people
- The judge must now determine damages, with New Mexico seeking the maximum $5,000 penalty per violation
- New Mexico was the only state to pursue this case after refusing to sign an August multistate settlement that released Meta from Cambridge Analytica liability