US social media giant Meta has had to publicly apologize to Qatari billionaire Wissam al Mana and promise extra protection after his image was used in crypto scam ads on Facebook.
He was used in ads in 2019 to attract people to sign up for crypto programs in the Middle East. Al Mana has spent the past three years pursuing Meta in the courts in Dublin, claiming the ads caused damage, distress and embarrassment to his reputation.
At a Dublin court on Friday, Meta admitted that "throughout 2019 there were several false, misleading and defamatory advertisements published on Facebook by malicious third parties, featuring the image of Wissam Al Mana, while He had no knowledge or consent." (Financial Times)