New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued Meta in 2023 for allegedly creating a “breeding ground” for child predators on Facebook and Instagram, claims that the company denies.
And while monumental, Wednesday’s verdict pales in comparison to one issued yesterday, when a jury in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay a staggering $375 million to the state for violating consumer protection law by enabling child sexual exploitation on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
The state claims Meta told the public Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp are safe for New Mexico teens and children, while hiding the truth about how much dangerous and harmful content the company hosts.
New Mexico argued that Facebook failed to disclose that it sold user data to outside parties and allowed harmful content to spread when doing so benefited the company's bottom line.
New Mexico argued that Facebook failed to disclose that it sold user data to outside parties and allowed harmful content to spread when doing so benefited the company's bottom line.
Corporate conductOfficial statement
Facebook suppressed an explosive New York Post article detailing how Hunter Biden used the position
Shortly before the 2020 presidential election, Facebook suppressed an explosive New York Post article detailing how Hunter Biden used the position and influence of his father, now- President Biden, for personal gain, with the apparent awareness of President Biden.
Shortly before the 2020 presidential election, Facebook suppressed an explosive New York Post article detailing how Hunter Biden used the position and influence of his father, now- President Biden, for personal gain, with the apparent awareness of President Biden.
Corporate conductConfirmed
Facebook states photos become inaccessible after account deletion
Facebook stated to users that after account deletion, photos and videos would be inaccessible.
• Facebook’s Deception Regarding Photo and Video Deletion: Facebook stated to users that, when they deactivate or delete their accounts, their photos and videos would be inaccessible.
Privacy & surveillanceAllegation
Facebook is accused of selling user data to advertisers
Facebook is accused of selling user data to advertisers, generating $70 billion in revenue in 2019.
Indeed, most of Facebook’s revenue is derived from selling ads and user data to advertisers; in 2019 alone, these sales generated $70 billion in revenue for the social media giant.
FTC v. Facebook: Social Media Giant Sued for Anticompetitive Conduct - Harvard Journal of Law & Technology
Workplace equityAllegation
Civil rights groups sued Facebook and Instagram for targeting predatory college ads at Black users
Civil Rights Groups Sue Facebook and Instagram For Targeting Predatory College Ads at Black Users.
ERC alleges Facebook and Instagram are public accommodations (i.e., businesses that must serve everyone without discrimination), receiving valuable targeted ads is part of the benefit of the bargain a user makes with Meta, and that by discriminating in ad delivery, Meta is providing different quality service for the same price.
Facebook has agreed to pay a record $14.5m (£10.1m) to settle claims it discriminated against US workers in its hiring practices.
Facebook settles US worker discrimination claims
"Facebook is not above the law, and must comply with our nation's federal civil rights laws, which prohibit discriminatory recruitment and hiring practices," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ.
MENLO PARK (CBS SF / CNN) -- One current Facebook manager and two job applicants have filed a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging the Menlo Park-based company has "a general policy of discrimination against Black applicants and workers, including in hiring, evaluations, promotions, and pay."
"People of color and Black workers in particular remain underrepresented at all levels of Facebook and especially at the management and leadership levels.
Black Facebook Employee, Job Applicants File EEOC Complaint Alleging Discrimination - CBS San Francisco
“People of color and Black workers in particular remain underrepresented at all levels of Facebook and especially at the management and leadership levels.
One current Facebook manager and two job applicants have filed a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that Facebook has “a general policy of discrimination against Black applicants and workers, including in hiring, evaluations, promotions, and pay.”
Black Facebook employee and two job applicants file EEOC complaint alleging discrimination | CNN Business
Wages & economic policyConfirmed
Facebook avoids U.S. taxes by claiming $2.9 billion in offshore reinvestments
Facebook claims $2.9 billion of its profits were earned offshore and permanently reinvested outside the U.S.
Facebook also likely has avoided U.S. taxes by claiming that $2.9 billion of the company’s profits were earned offshore, and are “permanently reinvested” outside the United States.
Privacy & surveillanceRuling
Facebook was held responsible for privacy violations through a jury verdict in a New Mexico trial
Jurors sided with prosecutors, finding Facebook made deceptive statements about protecting users’ data that affected New Mexico’s entire population of more than two million people.
Attorneys representing New Mexico accused Facebook of deceiving users about privacy protections on the social media platform and encouraged jurors during closing arguments Wednesday to find the company liable for thousands of violations of state law.
Facebook accused of deceiving users in New Mexico as trial over privacy scandal wraps up - ABC News
On the same day, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced a related $100 million resolution of charges that Facebook made misleading public disclosures in connection with data privacy risks.
The jury also found Facebook misled the public about investigations into third-party app developers that harvest user data following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
New Mexico jury finds Facebook liable for over 43 million violations of consumer protection law | Fortune
New Mexico jury finds Facebook liable for over 43 million violations of consumer protection law—and Meta could owe over $200 billion in penalties
The two-week trial in Santa Fe centered on accusations that Facebook, owned by Meta, 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 a political consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica, to generate targeted ads.
Jurors sided with prosecutors, finding Facebook made deceptive statements about protecting users’ data that affected New Mexico’s entire population of more than two million people.
Facebook, Inc was found to have committed more than 40 million violations of the New Mexico Unfair Practices Act when they made false and misleading statements to users in New Mexico.
“For years, Facebook operated as if the rules that apply to everyone else didn’t apply to them.
The jury found that Facebook made false or misleading statements assuring consumers that they controlled how their information was shared, that Facebook did not sell or provide their personal information to advertisers, and that the company did not buy or sell users’ data.
Jury Finds Facebook Violated New Mexico Consumer Protection Law, Faces Billions in Potential Civil Penalties
Jury Finds Facebook Violated New Mexico Consumer Protection Law, Faces Billions in Potential Civil Penalties - New Mexico Department of Justice
Court Orders Meta to Pay $942 Million and Overhaul Protections for Children on Facebook and Instagram in Landmark New Mexico Ruling
The jury’s verdict makes clear that Facebook knowingly made false or misleading statements or committed an unconscionable act that exploited New Mexicans’ lack of knowledge to a grossly unfair degree and that the social media giant was willful in its actions.
A New Mexico jury on Friday found Facebook liable for deceiving users about privacy protections on the platform in the latest legal setback against the social media giant that has already cost it billions of dollars.
The jury also found Facebook misled the public about investigations into third-party app developers that harvest user data following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
The lawsuit, filed in 2023, alleged Meta illegally collected and used the data of children under the age of 13 who used its platforms, made decisions in designing its platforms that drove excessive use and put young users at risk, and that it lied to users, their families, and the public about the safety of Facebook and Instagram.
Jurors sided with prosecutors, finding Facebook made deceptive statements about protecting users’ data that affected New Mexico’s entire population of more than two million people.
On 25 September 2026, a New Mexico jury found Facebook liable for over 43 million violations of the state’s consumer protection law, alleging that the platform deceived users about its privacy protections and the handling of third-party access to user data.
"New Mexico jury finds Facebook liable for over 43 million violations of consumer protection law - and Meta could owe over $200 billion in penalties", 26 September 2026
A New Mexico jury on Friday found Facebook liable for deceiving users about privacy protections on the platform...
The jury also found Facebook misled the public about investigations into third-party app developers that harvest user data following the Cambridge Analytica scandal...
Some Facebook users may soon receive a second payout tied to parent company Meta's $725 million privacy settlement, according to the claims administrator and an email sent to eligible claimants.
While Facebook required third-party developers to comply with its policies and terms, the complaint alleges that Facebook generally did not screen third-party developers before allowing them to access user data.
Jury finds Facebook liable for deceiving users on privacy protections
The jury also found Facebook misled the public about investigations into third-party app developers that harvest user data following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
I put in 12 years of work just for Facebook to violate our privacy by not controlling our privacy on the internet! that is life threatening to me, and I'm supposed to monetize my app, which is the fastest chrome, which has been hacked ,breached, all of the above, I need to be compensated for that, and so does everyone else.
Today’s action alleges that Facebook has violated the 2020 order, as well as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule (COPPA Rule).
The Commission first filed a complaint against Facebook in 2011, and secured an order in 2012 barring the company from misrepresenting its privacy practices.
New Mexico jury finds Facebook liable of deceiving users about privacy protections | PBS News
The jury also found Facebook misled the public about investigations into third-party app developers that harvest user data following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
settlement that requires Facebook to implement a comprehensive, multi-faceted set of compliance
Runkle and Jason Lee, in conjunction with staff at the FTC’s Division of Enforcement. Facebook Agrees to Pay $5 Billion and Implement Robust New Protections of User Information in Settlement of Data-Privacy Claims
“This settlement’s historic penalty and compliance terms will benefit American consumers, and the Department expects Facebook to treat its privacy obligations with the utmost seriousness.” “Despite repeated promises to its millions of world-wide users that they could control how their personal information is shared, Facebook took steps to undermine consumers’ choices,” said FTC Chairman Joe Simons.