Meta is threatening to withdraw its apps from New Mexico if a judge grants the state's demands in an ongoing legal battle.
The company, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, issued the warning in court filings related to New Mexico's consumer protection lawsuit. The state has accused Meta of deceptive data practices and is seeking specific changes to how the company handles user privacy. A judge is expected to rule on the state's requests in the coming weeks.
This isn't the first time Meta has hinted at leaving a jurisdiction over legal pressure. The company has taken similar stances in other regions when faced with regulations it considers too burdensome. New Mexico's attorney general has pursued the case aggressively, arguing that Meta's practices harm state residents.
The threat raises questions about whether Meta will actually follow through or if this is a negotiating tactic. The company has significant user bases in New Mexico across its platforms, and pulling out would mean abandoning a state of roughly 2 million people. If the judge rules against Meta, the company will need to decide whether this threat is hollow or if it's willing to lose access to an entire state's users over the dispute.