Meta Tests Facial Recognition To Combat Fake Celebrity Scam Ads

According to Cointelegraph, Meta, a social network company with nearly 4 billion users, is testing facial recognition technology to combat fake celebrity scam ads on its platforms. Early testing with a small group of celebrities has shown promising results, and the company plans to trial the technology with 50,000 celebrities and public figures in the coming weeks. The system compares images in the ads against the celebrity’s Facebook and Instagram profile pictures to identify scams. If a match is confirmed and the ad is determined to be a scam, it will be blocked. Celebrities such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk, American TV host Oprah Winfrey, and Australian mining billionaires Andrew Forrest and Gina Rinehart have been impersonated in scam ads in the past. Meta’s initiative is part of a broader crackdown against “celeb-bait” scams, where cyber criminals use sophisticated methods to steal personal information or money from victims. The company stated that this scheme violates its policies and is harmful to users. Meta will soon start sending in-app notifications to many targeted celebrities, informing them of their enrollment in the protection measure, with an option to opt-out. However, Meta must proceed with caution following a recent $1.4 billion settlement with Texas for using personal biometric data without legal authorization. The company assured that it would immediately delete facial data generated when determining whether a celebrity ad is a scam. Additionally, facial recognition technology will be used to help people verify their identity and regain access to compromised accounts. Despite the rise in crypto scam advertisements on Facebook, Meta refuted claims from Australia’s consumer regulator that nearly 60% of crypto investment schemes seen on Facebook were scams in August. Many victims are lured into these scams via AI-generated deepfakes.