Meta receives a record $25 billion fine / Judge accuses company of misleading the public

Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has been ordered by a judge in the U.S. state of New Mexico to pay a record $25 billion fine. The ruling was issued on Wednesday, following a two-week trial in which the court determined that the company misled the public about how it handled and distributed Facebook users’ data.

The case is linked to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which erupted after information about users was used in political consulting activities, including campaigns for the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The state of New Mexico argued that Facebook representatives repeatedly claimed that the data was not sold or shared with third parties, although this allegedly occurred.

Judge Francis Mathew found that the violations were deliberate and took place over more than 11 years, between 2010 and 2021. According to the judge, communications from Meta’s leadership, including Mark Zuckerberg, were designed to mislead the public. The penalty could have reached $219 billion, but the court reduced it to $25 billion. Meta did not immediately comment.