Zuckerberg’s company fined a record $25 billion over Facebook data scandal
Kyiv • UNN
A New Mexico court found that Meta had misled users about personal data for 11 years. The fine was reduced from $219 billion to $25 billion.
A U.S. court has ordered Meta, the company that owns Facebook, to pay a record fine of $25 billion for misleading users for years about the use of their personal data. BBC reports, UNN writes.
Details
The ruling was issued on October 21 by New Mexico state judge Francis Matthew. He found that over an 11-year period, from 2010 to 2021, the company knowingly concealed the true methods it used to process users’ information.
According to the court’s findings, statements by Meta’s executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, were intended to mislead the public. The judge emphasized that the violations concerned not only personal data but also the fundamental principles of the company’s business operations.
The fine could have reached $219 billion
The lawsuit is linked to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, during which Facebook users’ data was used for political consulting, particularly in the context of the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
The New Mexico Attorney General’s Office accused Meta of making false claims that the company had allegedly not shared personal data with third parties.
Initially, the total fines for thousands of violations of state law were estimated at $219 billion. However, the judge reduced the penalty to $25 billion, making it the largest fine in the company’s history.
This year, Meta has also faced other major penalties and legal settlements related to user safety, particularly that of minors.