Meta’s $25 billion legal loss just put blood in the water

When attorneys general from across the US announced a $17 billion settlement with Meta this summer, the sum was unprecedented. But a ruling last week by a New Mexico judge blew that number out of the water. The judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion to resolve claims that Meta misled users around the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal and related incidents. Similar claims were resolved by the settlement with most other states. The outcome raised an obvious question: Should these states have asked for more?

The answer depends on a mix of factors, including whether the $25 billion order stands up to Meta’s legal challenges. Meta’s chief legal officer C.J. Mahoney said in a statement that the company is “confident we will prevail on appeal” and called New Mexico’s lawsuit an attempt to impose “a tax on speech.” If the fine sticks, however, it could create a new appetite for...

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