Facebook sued for misleading misleading ads, impersonating celebrities to sell products

Although it is very easy for an unscrupulous seller to use the image of celebrities in order to sell their products, these practices are just as easily traceable as the administrator of the platform that takes over the advertisement. However, Facebook seems to have knowingly tolerated ads that use the image of views without permission, along with false messages of support, intended to boost sales.

Meta, the company behind Facebook, is no stranger to the use of facial recognition technologies, until recently generously applied to tag each person in the photos uploaded to the social network, establishing all kinds of connections that the targeted people do not even know. -would be imagined (or desired). However, paid ads seem to “fly” almost completely under the radar of verification filters, appearing to have a privileged status for the Facebook owner.

In response to repeated abuses, the first lawsuit against Facebook was filed by the Australian equivalent for the Competition Council and Consumer Protection. According to the allegations in the file, Meta knowingly tolerates deceptive, false or fraudulent practices, allowing the distribution on Facebook of advertisements that promote counterfeit cryptocurrencies, promoted by the abusive use of the image of celebrities.

According to the findings of the investigation, the US company could face financial and other sanctions. Earlier, Meta representatives said they were committed to keeping scammers away from its platforms.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (ACCC) says the ads used Facebook algorithms to target potential users and presented false quotes from Australian celebrities.

Identities used without permission include former New South Wales Prime Minister Mike Baird, TV host David Koch and millionaire entrepreneur Dick Smith.

“The essence of our case is that Meta is responsible for these ads that it publishes on its platform,” ACCC President Rod Sims said in a statement on Friday.

We can only wonder if the Australian authorities would have acted just as promptly if the affected people had not included influential politicians.