Meta ordered to pay $25B penalty in New Mexico Cambridge Analytica case

Meta has been ordered to pay a $25 billion penalty in a case related to Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics firm that harvested user data from Facebook, now Meta. The penalty was imposed by the New Mexico Attorney General's office. The case involves the use of personal data from Facebook users in New Mexico without their consent. Meta has agreed to pay the fine as part of a settlement. The agreement does not include an admission of wrongdoing by Meta. The case dates back to 2018, when it was discovered that Cambridge Analytica had collected and used data from millions of Facebook users, including those in New Mexico, without their knowledge or consent. The data was used for targeted political advertising. The New Mexico Attorney General's office had been investigating the matter since 2019. The settlement also includes provisions for Meta to improve its data practices in New Mexico, including providing more transparency to users about how their data is being used.