Meta ordered to pay $25B in New Mexico for misleading users on privacy

The judgment is one of the largest of its kind, according to the state’s attorney general, and exceeds an $18 billion child safety settlement Meta agreed to in August.

October 21, 2026 at 2:18 p.m. EDT26 minutes ago

1 min

Summary

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg during a Senate committee hearing in 2018. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

By Ian Duncan

A judge in New Mexico ordered social media giant Meta to pay a $25 billion judgment Wednesday over millions of violations of consumer protections laws, a penalty the state’s attorney general said appeared to be the largest of its kind ever issued.

The judgment extends state Attorney General Raúl Torrez’s winning record against the company, following victories earlier this year in child safety cases. Torrez (D) said the result should send a message to other tech companies that his office will hold them accountable.

“Today’s judgment from a state which, admittedly, is not very big in terms of population, should be a clear warning to everyone in Big Tech,” Torrez said at a news conference.

While the judgment is almost certain to be appealed, it is larger than the $18 billion settlement Meta agreed to in August to resolve child safety allegations brought by states.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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