US judge orders Meta to pay $25B in data privacy case: Report

By Ahmet Salih Alacaci

WASHINGTON (AA) - A US judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in penalties for Facebook's handling of user data, reducing an initial assessment of $219.5 billion in a case involving political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica nearly a decade ago, CNBC reported Wednesday.

The ruling follows a September jury verdict in New Mexico that found the social media company liable for more than 43 million violations of the state's consumer protection law.

The case stems from the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which the company improperly accessed personal information from 87 million Facebook users. Meta is Facebook's parent company.

New Mexico District Court Judge Francis Mathew said the violations were willful and systematic, citing repeated misleading statements by Facebook and the involvement of senior company executives.

The judge also ordered that the $25 billion penalty accrue 15% annual interest until paid in full.