Jury finds Facebook liable of deceiving users in Cambridge Analytica case, tell me about this news in (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/facebook-liable-deceiving-users-cambridge-analytica/)

A state jury in New Mexico found Facebook liable for deceiving users regarding its privacy protections in connection with the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Key details reported from the trial and verdict:

• The Case and Verdict: Following a two-week trial in Santa Fe, the jury sided with the state prosecutors, determining that Facebook deceived the public about how user data was protected and misled users concerning subsequent investigations into third-party data brokers. The jury found Facebook liable for more than 2 million violations, concluding that the data practices impacted New Mexico’s entire population.

• Background: The lawsuit centered on the fallout from a third-party personality quiz that harvested the personal data of roughly 87 million Facebook profiles without explicit user consent. That data was subsequently acquired by Cambridge Analytica, the political consulting firm employed during the 2016 Trump presidential campaign to direct targeted political advertising.

• Potential Penalties: It is up to the presiding judge to establish the financial penalties. State attorneys are seeking the statutory maximum of $5,000 per violation.

• Solitary State Action: While other states released Meta from future liability concerning the Cambridge Analytica matter as part of an earlier multistate settlement, New Mexico pursued the case independently to trial.

• Meta’s Defense and Response: Meta’s legal team argued during closing statements that the state relied on outdated materials and failed to establish broader systemic breaches. Following the verdict, a Meta spokesperson stated that the company strongly disagrees with the decision, citing First Amendment protections regarding how it manages its platform and maintains user controls, and indicated the company will continue to defend its record.