MEGA FINE: Meta Ordered to Pay $25 Billion for Privacy Deception...

A federal judge in New Mexico has imposed a $25 billion penalty on Meta for deceiving the public about its handling of user data over more than a decade. The ruling stems from the company's representations to users and regulators that third parties could not access personal information without explicit permission—claims the court found were fundamentally false. Communications among Meta's senior leadership, including founder Mark Zuckerberg, were characterized by the judge as deliberately designed to mislead the public about these practices. The fine represents Meta's largest penalty to date and follows years of accumulating legal pressure over privacy and safety issues. New Mexico's case originated from Meta's role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which political consulting firm accessed millions of users' data. The state has emerged as particularly aggressive in holding the company accountable, having also pursued separate litigation over Meta's child safety practices. Meta has signaled its intention to appeal the ruling.