Polish billionaire Rafal Brzoska is gearing up to take legal action against Meta over the proliferation of fraudulent advertisements on Facebook and Instagram featuring images of him and his wife Omenaa Mensah without their consent. As the founder and CEO of parcel locker company InPost, Brzoska has expressed frustration with the tech giant’s refusal to remove these misleading ads despite multiple requests.
This is not the first time Meta has faced such complaints, as earlier this year EU anti-trust regulators declared that the company’s advertising model on Facebook and Instagram was in breach of the Digital Markets Act (DMA. Introduced last November, the policy forces users to either pay a subscription fee or permit Meta to use their data for targeted advertising.
Brzoska announced his intent to file a private lawsuit against Meta, but has not yet determined which jurisdiction he will pursue legal action in. He is considering all available options, including potentially suing the company in the United States if no action is taken in Europe. Brzoska and Mensah plan to seek compensation proportional to the advertising revenue generated by these misleading advertisements, which they intend to donate to charity should their case succeed.
Last week, Poland’s Personal Data Protection Office ordered Meta Platforms Ireland Limited to halt the display of false advertisements featuring images and personal details of Mensah for a period of three months. According to Polish Radio, some of these Facebook ads falsely claimed that Mensah had been abused or even killed by her husband. Despite Mensah’s attempts to have these ads removed, she discovered that 263 of them were still active and updated as recently as the day she reported the issue.
In response to these allegations, a Meta spokesperson told Reuters that scammers use every platform available to them for fraudulent purposes and adapt quickly to avoid detection. The company claims that it removes such content when discovered but acknowledges the need for ongoing collaboration with businesses, local authorities, and law enforcement agencies to address this issue effectively.
As the battle against misleading advertising continues, Rafal Brzoska’s legal action against Meta is poised to shed light on the prevalence of these deceptive practices and raise awareness about the need for stricter regulation in the digital advertising sphere.