The fine of 25 billion dollars imposed on Meta for deceiving Facebook users amounts to 47.6% of the profits obtained by the company during the first nine months of 2026. The magnitude of the sanction has become evident coinciding with the presentation of the financial results of the tech giant, which has earned 52.481 billion dollars between January and September, 39% more than in the same period of the previous year.
The ruling, issued this Wednesday by Judge Francis Mathew in New Mexico, represents one of the largest economic sanctions imposed on a tech company in the United States. A jury determined that Facebook had committed 43,899,725 violations of state consumer protection legislation, through misleading statements about the privacy of personal data, third-party access to that information, and content moderation.
The company led by Mark Zuckerberg has announced that it will appeal the ruling. Therefore, the 25 billion does not constitute a loss that can be directly deducted from the published profits. Its definitive impact will depend on the evolution of the judicial process and the accounting treatment of the obligation, although the amount allows for sizing the financial risk that litigation represents for Meta.
A fine that amounts to 47.6% of its profits
The comparison between the sentence and the accounts of the multinational reflects its economic scope. The 25 billion dollars represent practically half of the 52.481 billion earned between January and September, although they are different magnitudes: an appealable judicial sanction and the net profit accumulated over nine months.
If the total fine were hypothetically deducted from those profits, the resulting amount would be 27.481 billion dollars. This operation is merely an arithmetic comparison and does not represent the financial result reported by Meta, nor does it mean that the company has already recorded that amount as an expense.
The ruling also comes in a year in which judicial proceedings have already had consequences on the company's accounts. Meta has recognized a charge of 9.980 billion dollars during the third quarter related to other judicial agreements, a different item from the new sanction in New Mexico.
The operating result between July and September has been reduced to 12.990 billion dollars. Without that extraordinary charge, it would have reached approximately 22.880 billion, according to the company's own calculations. The earnings per share have also been affected: it has been 3.83 dollars, compared to the 7.40 dollars it would have recorded without that legal expense.
The Cambridge Analytica scandal, source of the conviction
The legal procedure originates from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the political consultancy that obtained personal data from up to 87 million Facebook users through a third-party application, without the affected individuals having authorized that use of their information.
The firm, linked to Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016, used information obtained from the social network to develop user profiles for political purposes. The case triggered investigations into Facebook's privacy practices and the ability of third parties to access its users' data.
The lawsuit from New Mexico, filed in 2021, went beyond the information leak. The Attorney General accused Facebook of deceiving consumers about its privacy policies, the protection of their data, and the measures taken to combat misinformation and harmful content.
The jury found nearly 44 million violations of the New Mexico Unfair Practices Act to be substantiated. Judge Mathew determined that the examined conduct justified applying the maximum penalty of 5,000 dollars per violation, although he ultimately reduced the total amount to 25 billion.
The state Attorney General, led by Raúl Torrez, had sought a penalty of between 35 billion and 40 billion dollars, while Meta defended a much lower amount. The tech company has rejected the accusations and believes that the alleged harm claimed by the authorities was not substantiated.
New Mexico rejected an 18 billion agreement with other states
The conviction comes just two months after Meta reached an agreement of up to 18 billion dollars with 48 U.S. states to resolve various proceedings related to its platforms, the protection of minors, and privacy practices.
However, New Mexico decided not to participate in that pact and to continue with its own judicial strategy. Florida also did not join the agreement. The decision allowed New Mexico to maintain its claims against Facebook and take the case to an independent judicial resolution.
Attorney General Raúl Torrez has celebrated the ruling as a victory for consumers and has defended the need to hold large tech platforms accountable for the handling of personal information.
According to state authorities, the funds obtained through the penalty will be used to finance public education in New Mexico. However, the appeal announced by Meta may delay the effective collection of the amount for years.
A year of million-dollar sentences for Meta
The fine of 25 billion adds to a succession of judicial resolutions that have increased economic pressure on the company during 2026. In March, a court in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay 375 million dollars for deficiencies in the protection of minors on its platforms, in a proceeding related to the risks for younger users.
Subsequently, in August, another court in the same state imposed a penalty of 567 million dollars for the harm caused to the well-being and mental health of teenagers. The ruling also required modifications to the operation of Facebook and Instagram, including measures to limit minors' exposure to certain content.
Meta's judicial background goes back several years. In 2019, Facebook agreed to pay 5 billion dollars to the Federal Trade Commission of the United States to resolve an investigation into its privacy practices.
In Europe, the company has also received significant penalties. In 2023, the Irish data protection regulator imposed a fine of 1.2 billion euros for the transfers of personal information of European users to the United States, one of the largest penalties applied under the General Data Protection Regulation.
The accumulation of judicial proceedings poses a financial risk for Meta, although not all amounts can be added as definitive losses. Some correspond to agreements, others to appealable penalties, and others have already been recognized in previous accounting periods.
Meta earns 39% more in nine months despite the litigation
The judicial impact contrasts with the evolution of the technology business. Meta obtained a net profit of 52.481 billion dollars between January and September 2026, 39% more than during the first nine months of the previous year.
In the third quarter, corresponding exclusively to the period between July and September, revenue reached 64.601 billion dollars, 26% more in year-on-year terms. The figure exceeded analysts' forecasts, who expected revenues of 63.370 billion.
Advertising continues to be the main source of income for Facebook and Instagram. The company has reported that its platforms recorded an average of 3.640 billion daily active users in September, 3% more than a year earlier.
Additionally, advertising impressions increased by 10% and the average price of ads grew by 14%, two factors that explain the increase in the group's revenues.
However, total costs and expenses for the third quarter amounted to 51.610 billion dollars, 68% more than a year earlier. The increase reflects both extraordinary legal expenses and the expansion of the company's technological activities.
Artificial intelligence increases expenses
To the cost of litigation is added Meta's investment effort to develop new artificial intelligence systems and expand its data center infrastructure.
Capital expenditure for the third quarter amounted to 34.910 billion dollars, while the company has raised its investment forecasts for the entirety of 2026 to a range of between 135.000 and 145.000 billion.
These resources are mainly allocated to expanding processing capacity, acquiring technological equipment, and developing artificial intelligence models that the company intends to integrate into its platforms and advertising tools.
The multinational thus reaches the last quarter of the fiscal year with an expanding advertising business, but also with significant financial commitments arising from its investments and the legal proceedings opened in the United States.
The main unknown is the definitive impact of the 25.000 billion dollar sentence. Its amount is equivalent to almost five months of the average profit obtained by Meta between January and September, but the impact on its accounts will depend on the outcome of the appeals and the obligations that the company ultimately has to assume.