New Mexico Takes Facebook to Court Over Cambridge Analytica Data Scandal

New Mexico has become the first state to take Meta to trial over the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal, with opening statements commencing Wednesday in Santa Fe. The case stems from a personality quiz on Facebook that harvested data from roughly 87 million profiles worldwide, including an estimated 350,000 New Mexicans, which was then sold to the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica for targeted advertising during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

State Attorney General Raúl Torrez said the breach exposed a pattern of misrepresentation about how user data was collected, shared, and exploited. New Mexico is pursuing the case independently after declining to join a landmark settlement reached in August between Meta and 48 other states, which addressed child safety and privacy issues. Florida also opted out, arguing the settlement was not stringent enough.

The state is seeking maximum civil penalties under the New Mexico Unfair Practices Act, up to $5,000 per violation, and an injunction to prevent future data breaches. The trial, expected to last about four weeks, will include a video deposition from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

This is not the first legal battle between New Mexico and Meta. Earlier this year, the state secured $942 million from the company in a two-phase trial concerning safety protections for minors, which also led to court-ordered safeguards such as age verification and time limits on platforms.