The 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal was one of the largest user data breaches in history and its repercussions for Meta are still felt to this day. Following a two-week trial, a jury in the State District Court in Santa Fe ruled that Meta had committed 43 million violations of New Mexico’s consumer protection laws.
Each violation was assessed to carry up to $5,000 in penalty charges, leading to the $25 billion fine that Meta is now ordered to pay the state of New Mexico. This is the largest fine against the company to date. To put that number into perspective, Meta made an estimated $42.6 billion in profit through the first half of 2026. The $25 billion fine would eat up nearly 60% of that profit.
Meta was found guilty of deceiving users by allowing third-party app developers to access personal information without their consent. As expected, Meta already confirmed it will appeal the court ruling, with Meta chief legal officer C. J. Mahoney confident that his company will win the appeal.
Earlier this year, New Mexico fined Meta $375 million over violating state practices concerning online child safety.