HN

Comments (105)

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  tmp10423288442
  A lot of people on this story are making the usual snarky remarks that, oh, this is just a slap on the wrist—some trivial proportion of Meta’s global revenue. And that is true, but unlike the EU, for example, New Mexico is a tiny jurisdiction. It only has a little bit more than 2 million people.So actually, a fine—or a judgment—of $942 million that applies just to New Mexico is enormous. If you look at Meta’s revenue from the U.S. and Canada and assign it proportionally by population, you find that Meta only earned about $1.5 billion to $2 billion total from New Mexico over the past five years. The exact figure depends on whether you allocate purely by population or account for purchasing power, which makes the estimate a little lower because New Mexico is a poorer state than the U.S. average.Given that, the judgment is a half to two-thirds of what Meta could have obtained from New Mexico. So it is actually a serious deterrent, assuming Meta thinks New Mexico would continue to impose fines of that size.I also think that there’s a good chance this judgment gets overturned or significantly reduced on appeal, but even if the fine drops to half its current level, it would be proportionately larger than almost any fine against any company, let alone tech, that I’ve heard of.
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  tristanj
  Per the court ruling [0], the specific law that Meta violated was New Mexico’s public-nuisance law, NMSA 1978 § 30-8-1. The relevant section that was violated is [1]:A public nuisance consists of knowingly creating, performing or maintaining anything affecting any number of citizens without lawful authority which is either:- A. injurious to public health, safety, morals or welfare; or- B. interferes with the exercise and enjoyment of public rights, including the right to use public property.Whoever commits a public nuisance for which the act or penalty is not otherwise prescribed by law is guilty of a petty misdemeanor.The judge found that Meta’s operation of Facebook and Instagram created a public nuisance which injured public health, safety, and welfare; and burdened public schools, hospitals, and law enforcement. The judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million into a fund to abate the harm done.[0] https://www.kob.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/D-101-CV-2023...[1] https://law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/chapter-30/article-8...
• sidcool
  They are going to end up paying much lesser. And that amount would be a loose change compared to what money they bring in.
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  majorchord
  I wonder how many billions it would take every year for this to not just be considered "cost of doing business"?
• 1vuio0pswjnm7
  49204301 | NM court orders Meta to pay $567M, make changes for underage users | https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/nm-court-orders-meta-to-pay-5... | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4920430149204500 | New Mexico court orders Meta to pay $567M over harms to children's mental health | https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/06/new-mexic... | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4920450049204501 | Meta fined $567M in largest child safety ruling against social media giant | https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd7lz3wr2rlo | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4920450149205817 | Meta ordered to pay $567M in New Mexico for teen mental health fund | https://www.reuters.com/world/new-mexico-court-orders-meta-p... | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49205817
• gigatexal
  They left off a zero from that fine.
• mrbluecoat
  Nice to read about, but will be appealed to eternity.
• 1vuio0pswjnm7
  "Meta raised an affirmative defense that it is immune from the States public nuisance claim pursuant to Section 230(c)(1) of the CDA. Defendants Amended Answer and Affirmative Defenses at 65, 17, State ex rel. Torrez v. Meta Platforms, Inc., D-101-CV-2023-02838 (1st Jud. Dist. Ct. Aug. 2, 2024). This Court concludes that Meta is not immune from the public nuisance claim."https://www.debevoise.com/-/media/files/insights/publication...https://journals.library.columbia.edu/index.php/CBLR/announc...https://southerncalifornialawreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2...https://uclawreview.org/2026/04/03/is-social-media-the-next-...
• grokcodec
  just the cost of doing business for these reprobates
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  drivebyhooting
  What benefit do kids draw from instagram and facebook?
• system2
  Meta's market cap is 1,600 times more than the fine.Their full-year gross income in 2025 was $200.97 billion.
• carabiner
  Harm to the world. I seriously believe screen addiction is worse than obesity and opiates but it's so normalized, no one can imagine a world without it.
• 93po
  prison time please
• abstractspoon
  But not actually to modify their algorithms ?
• lol8675309
  sure. can't wait for the checks.
• lorreyfum
  Now how about the adults?
• vithlani
  [dead]
• Ozzie-D
  [flagged]
• animanoir
  [dead]