• by Wendy Davis , September 25, 2026

A New Mexico jury on Friday determined Meta violated the state's consumer protection law by misleading consumers about Facebook's privacy practices and content policies.

verdict came after a two-week trial that reportedly largely centered on the highly publicized decade-old Cambridge Analytica debacle, in which the defunct political consultancy obtained data about tens of millions of Facebook users.

News of the data harvesting came to light in 2018, when reports emerged that Cambridge Analytica purchased personal information of millions Facebook users from Alexsandr Kogan, a professor who collected the information in 2014 via his personality quiz app "thisisyourdigitallife."

That app was downloaded by 270,000 Facebook users, but Kogan was able to gather information about at least 87 million of those users' friends.

The jury found that Meta made several false or deceptive representations to users regarding data, including the following 2010 statement by CEO Mark Zuckerberg: "You have control over how your information is shared. We do not share your personal information with people or services you don't want."

Meta was found to have committed more than two million violations of New Mexico law based on that statement alone.

The jury also determined that Meta made false or deceptive statements about its content policies, including representations that it doesn't allow "hate speech" on the platform.

A Meta spokesperson said the company disagrees with the verdict and will "continue to defend ourselves against efforts to distort our record."

"Meta's platforms are forums for free expression," the spokesperson said. "We have a First Amendment right to manage those platforms in a way we believe best serves the interests of our community. This means prioritizing free speech, protecting our users' information and giving them control over their data."

The jury found nearly 44 million violations total.

Santa Fe Judge Judge Francis Mathew will hold a hearing regarding fines. Meta could face up to $5,000 per violation.

The company previously paid $5 billion to settle FTC charges stemming from Cambridge Analytica, and resolved a class-action suit by users for $725 million. The company also recently agreed to pay $500 million to resolve other states' claims relating to Cambridge Analytica; that settlement was part of a larger $18 billion deal focused primarily on charges regarding child safety.