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Meta Found Liable for Unfair Practices Act Violations in NM

By Drooid · Sep 25, 2026, 11:31 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Meta Found Liable

A New Mexico jury found Meta Platforms liable for deception under the Unfair Practices Act.
Jurors recorded 43,899,720 violations, each punishable up to $5,000.
Judge Francis Mathew will determine the total monetary penalty.
Meta plans to appeal, potentially delaying payment for four to five years.
The case stems from the Cambridge Analytica breach that harvested 87 million profiles.

Summary

Meta Defends Breach

Facebook defended the 2014 data breach as a single, isolated incident not reflecting current practices.
Attorney Dane Butswinkas argued the Unfair Practices Act covers only sales, leases or rentals, which Facebook does not provide.
Facebook cited a two-year, $130 million review that removed 125,000 third-party apps from its platform.
The company said it immediately suspended the app developer responsible for the Cambridge Analytica data collection.

History

Historical Context

In November 2012 the FTC secured a $22.5 million civil penalty against Google, the agency’s largest ever fine, after finding the company misled Safari users and breached a 2011 consent order. That enforcement precedent shaped later state actions, such as the New Mexico jury’s record of Meta violations, and signals growing regulatory pressure on Big Tech privacy practices.

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Meta Found Liable

A New Mexico jury found Meta Platforms liable for deception under the Unfair Practices Act.
Jurors recorded 43,899,720 violations, each punishable up to $5,000.
Judge Francis Mathew will determine the total monetary penalty.
Meta plans to appeal, potentially delaying payment for four to five years.
The case stems from the Cambridge Analytica breach that harvested 87 million profiles.

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