iWorld
Poland seeks €250 million Meta fine over fraudulent advertisements
Cybersecurity tests found 122 fraudulent ads, with Meta declining to remove 106 of them
MUMBAI: For Meta, the scam warning in Poland is getting harder to scroll past. Poland has asked the European Commission to impose a €250 million ($291.30 million) fine on Meta, accusing the company of failing to respond adequately to fraudulent advertisements on its platforms, Reuters reported.
Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said repeated reports from Polish authorities and cybersecurity teams had not produced an effective response from Meta. He also called on the company to introduce stronger tools to tackle scams, false advertising and the promotion of illegal applications.
The minister cited tests conducted by CERT Polska, Poland’s national cybersecurity incident response team, which identified 122 advertisements as fraudulent. Of these, Meta allegedly declined to remove 106, or 86.8 per cent of the cases. Ten advertisements were removed, while six received no response.
Gawkowski has asked the European Commission to take action and urged Meta to strengthen its safeguards against fraudulent and illegal content immediately.
The request adds to mounting scrutiny of Meta’s handling of scam advertisements in Poland. Billionaire Rafal Brzoska has also taken the company to court over fake advertisements.
In April 2026, a Warsaw appellate court ruled in Brzoska’s case that Meta was responsible for advertisements hosted on its platforms. Meta has argued in court that it should not be held responsible for fraudulent actions carried out by users.
The Polish government’s request also lands as Meta faces legal pressure on other fronts. In the US, the company has agreed to pay as much as $16.68 billion to settle claims brought by multiple states alleging that Facebook and Instagram were designed to encourage addictive use among children and teenagers. The agreement also includes new safety measures for younger users.
For Meta, the Polish dispute highlights a growing challenge for platforms: fraudulent content may be created by users, but regulators are increasingly looking at how quickly and effectively the platforms respond when such content is flagged.
