Meta is launching technology to combat fraudulent ads with celebrities

Meta has announced the testing of facial recognition technology to combat fraudulent ads that feature images of celebrities. Facebook and Instagram will also use this new feature to identify fake accounts of well-known individuals created to deceive users.

As explained by TechCrunch, the goal of these tests is to strengthen the existing anti-fraud measures, such as machine learning-based automated scans that check ads on Facebook and Instagram. If an ad is flagged as suspicious, the identification process will begin, using profile pictures from the account.

"Scammers often use images of famous personalities, such as bloggers or other celebrities, to lure people to fraudulent sites where they are asked for personal information or money. This scheme, known as 'celeb-bait,' violates our policies and harms users of our products," writes Meta's Vice President of Content Policy, Monika Bickert, in the company's blog. She emphasizes that if a match with a celebrity's profile picture is confirmed and the ad is fraudulent, it will be blocked.

Meta claims that facial recognition technology is used solely to combat fraudulent ads, and after verification, all images, regardless of whether a match was found, are deleted and not used for any other purpose. Early tests with a small group of public figures have shown "promising" results in terms of speed and effectiveness in identifying and blocking fraudulent ads. The company is also considering using the technology to detect deepfake ads created using generative AI and is testing facial recognition to detect fake celebrity accounts.

In the coming weeks, the company will start sending in-app notifications to a wider range of public figures whose images were used in fraudulent ads, informing them that they have been automatically included in the protection system. However, Bickert notes that this feature can be opted out of at any time through the Account Center.

Additionally, Meta has begun testing video selfies with facial recognition to speed up the process of restoring access to accounts that were blocked for any reason. This method will make account recovery faster and easier compared to uploading an ID image. It is noted that "video selfie verification expands the options for account recovery, takes only a minute, and is the simplest way to confirm your identity." This method is similar to Face ID identification on iPhone.