Andrew Forrest sues Meta over fraudulent scam ads

Andrew Forrest, an Australian billionaire, is taking Facebook's parent company, Meta, to court. He claims that Meta's automated advertising systems play a significant role in promoting scam ads that use his likeness. Forrest started these legal proceedings in 2021 to stop Meta from posting these fraudulent ads. In court, it was revealed that Forrest had appeared in around 230,000 scam ads on Meta's platforms since 2019. The court has ordered Meta to disclose how its advertising systems work, forcing the company to provide information it has tried to keep secret for over a year. Meta now has less than two weeks to comply with the court's request. Meta generates most of its revenue, $164 billion in the last year, from ads across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The company enjoys protections under the Communications Decency Act, meaning it cannot typically be held liable for content posted on its platform, including scam ads. This immunity allows Meta to profit without facing consequences for fraud that affects its users. If Forrest succeeds in challenging Meta's immunity, victims of scams could potentially sue the company for their losses. The challenge for regular users, however, is that Meta has no legal presence in Australia, making it difficult for them to seek redress. For Forrest, who can access legal resources in the U.S., the situation is more manageable. Despite the ongoing case, Meta has refused to comment, noting that it faces sophisticated criminal networks that generate these scam ads. If the court finds against Meta, it could impact the company's significant ad revenue. However, for the average person, accountability remains a distant prospect.