Australia has filed a lawsuit against Meta, the owner of social media site Facebook, accusing the company of providing fraudulent commercials to users with fake endorsements from celebrities.
An official said:
” The technology company was known to publish fake and misleading advertisements about counterfeit cryptocurrencies, but it still hosted such fake, confusing and deceptive advertisements. ”
This may result in financial or other penalties for the American company.
Meta has not yet commented on the latest move by Australian authorities, but has repeatedly said it is committed to keeping tags off its pages.
Officials at the Healthy Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCCC) in Australia say the ads targeted sensitive Facebook users through Facebook’s algorithms and used fake statements from Australian celebrities.
The names and identities of television personalities, millionaires and political figures have been used without permission, officials say.
“The content of our petition is that Meta Inc. has hosted such advertisements on its pages,” ACCC President Rod Sims said in a statement on Friday.
The lawsuit, filed in Australian Federal Court, alleges that Meta was aware of the allegations, but did not do so, and the company failed to stop the scam despite complaints from celebrities.
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