A judge in New Mexico ordered Meta Platforms to pay $25bn on ⁠Wednesday after a jury found the company had misled consumers in a case arising from allegations that a political consulting firm involved in Donald Trump ’s 2016 presidential campaign obtained data from millions of Facebook users ⁠without their consent.

“Facebook’s wrongdoing – ⁠over the course of ​years and systematically broadcast to the public – goes to the heart of Facebook’s core business practices,” Judge Francis Mathew wrote in his order following the verdict.

Mathew found that a penalty of more than $219bn was warranted, based on state law, but he reduced the figure to $25bn.

A spokesperson for Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Settlements over the social networks’ safety are growing so large that Meta is reporting significant drags on its business.…