Polish tycoon to sue Meta over fake ads
Polish billionaire Rafal Brzoska is planning to take Meta to court over fake advertisements on Facebook and Instagram featuring photos of him and his wife Omenaa Mensah. The founder and CEO of parcel locker company, InPost, told Reuters that the tech giant had ignored requests to remove the ads.
It’s not the first time that the US company has faced complaints over adverts appearing on its platforms. In early July, EU anti-trust regulators declared that Meta’s ‘pay or consent’ advertising model had breached the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). Under the policy introduced last November, Facebook and Instagram users in the EU are given the option of either paying a subscription fee or allowing the company to use their data for targeted advertising.
“We plan to file a private lawsuit against Meta... We have not yet determined in which jurisdictions we will sue Meta. We will decide in the next few weeks,” Brzoska said on Monday, according to Reuters.
The Polish entrepreneur added that “we are considering absolutely all scenarios, including a lawsuit in the United States if there is inaction in Europe.” Brzoska clarified that he and his wife would seek sizable compensation proportionate to the advertising revenues generated through the misleading advertisements.
According to the businessman, they will donate the money to charity should the case succeed.
Last week, the president of Poland’s Personal Data Protection Office, Miroslaw Wroblewski, ordered Meta Platforms Ireland Limited to stop displaying false advertisements featuring photos and personal details of Brzoska’s wife for three months.
Polskie Radio reported that at least some of the advertisements on Facebook contained claims that Omenaa Mensah had been abused by her husband or even died. According to the media outlet, Mensah discovered 263 ads that were still up and updated despite her complaints.
In a statement issued to Reuters, a Meta spokesperson said: “Scammers use every platform available to them to defraud people and constantly adapt to evade getting caught,” insisting that the tech giant “remove[s] it when we find it.”
The company representative added that Meta cooperates “with businesses, local administrations and law enforcement” to address this issue.
