Meta hit with $25B penalty for deceiving users about privacy on Facebook

The New Mexico Department of Justice has imposed a $25 billion penalty on Meta, the parent company of Facebook, for deceiving users about their privacy. The penalty is the result of a settlement in a lawsuit filed by the New Mexico attorney general against Meta. The lawsuit alleged that Meta made false and misleading claims about the privacy and security of Facebook's facial recognition technology. The settlement requires Meta to pay $25 billion and to implement changes to its business practices to improve user privacy. The changes include deleting the facial recognition technology used to tag users in photos and to obtain explicit consent from users before collecting and using their biometric data. The settlement also requires Meta to pay $650 million to New Mexico for the state's costs and fees associated with the lawsuit.