Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, is stepping up its game to fight online scams that use famous people’s images without permission. Celebrities like Elon Musk and Martin Lewis have been used in fake ads, often promoting shady investment schemes or cryptocurrencies. These scams trick people into believing that the celebrities are endorsing these products, leading many to lose their money. Meta has been working to tackle this issue, and now, it’s introducing facial recognition technology to help put an end to these deceptive ads.

Scams Targeting Celebrities

Imagine scrolling through your social media feed and seeing an ad featuring your favorite celebrity endorsing a new cryptocurrency or investment opportunity. Sounds tempting, right? The problem is, these ads are often fake. Scammers use well-known faces like Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO, and Martin Lewis, a personal finance expert, to make their schemes look real. Martin Lewis, for example, has said that he gets “countless” reports of people seeing his face in scam ads, and it makes him feel “sick.”

These fake ads aren’t just a minor annoyance—they can be extremely damaging. People who trust these celebrities might end up falling for the scam and losing their hard-earned money. And for the celebrities, it’s frustrating to see their name and reputation being used in such a negative way.

Meta’s New Plan to Stop Scammers

Meta is introducing a new tool to help fight back against these scammers: facial recognition technology. This tech will be used to automatically detect when a scammer is using a celebrity’s face in an ad. Here’s how it works: Meta’s system will compare the faces in ads that are flagged as suspicious with the profile pictures of celebrities on Facebook and Instagram. If there’s a match, the ad will be taken down right away.

Meta has already been using artificial intelligence (AI) to review ads and detect fake celebrity endorsements. But scammers have been getting smarter, so Meta is upgrading its system to be more effective. The company says that early tests of the new facial recognition tool have shown “promising results,” and they’re expanding it to more celebrities who have been targeted by these scams.

Deepfake Technology Making Scams Worse

While Meta is working to crack down on these fake ads, the problem is getting harder to solve. Scammers are now using something called “deepfake” technology. Deepfakes are computer-generated images or videos that look incredibly real. They can make it seem like a celebrity is saying or doing something they never did. These deepfakes are often used to make fake ads look even more convincing.

This has been a growing problem for Meta for a long time. Back in the 2010s, Martin Lewis even took legal action against Facebook because of these scams. In the end, Facebook agreed to introduce a feature that allowed users to report scam ads more easily. They also donated £3 million to Citizens Advice, a charity that helps people with legal and financial issues.

Even with these changes, scammers have continued to evolve their tactics. Deepfakes are just the latest tool in their toolbox, making it harder for regular people to tell the difference between real and fake ads. Meta knows that it has to keep improving its system to stay ahead of these scammers.

Pressure to Do More

Meta has been facing increasing pressure to do something about these scams. Just recently, Martin Lewis called on the UK government to give more power to Ofcom, the country’s media regulator, to tackle scam ads. His call came after a fake interview with Chancellor Rachel Reeves was used in a scam to trick people into giving away their bank details. This shows just how dangerous these scams can be.

Meta understands that scammers are always finding new ways to trick people. They’ve said that scammers are “relentless” and constantly changing their tactics to avoid getting caught. But Meta is hopeful that by sharing its new approach with the public, it can help the entire tech industry improve its defenses against scammers.

Facial Recognition for Account Recovery

Meta isn’t just using facial recognition technology to fight scams. It’s also testing this tech as a way to help people regain access to their social media accounts if they get locked out. Right now, if you get locked out of your Facebook or Instagram account, you have to upload an official ID or other documents to prove that you’re really you.

But now, Meta is testing a faster and easier option. People will be able to use video selfies and facial recognition to confirm their identity and unlock their accounts. The system will compare the video selfie with the account’s profile picture to make sure it’s a match. If it is, the person will be able to get back into their account without having to upload any documents.

Privacy Concerns

Even though this new technology sounds helpful, there are some concerns about privacy. Meta has used facial recognition in the past, but they stopped using it in 2021 because of worries about privacy, accuracy, and bias. People are often concerned that facial recognition can be misused or that it might not work well for everyone.

Meta is trying to address these concerns by ensuring that the video selfies will be encrypted and stored securely. They’ve also promised that the facial data generated during the comparison process will be deleted right after the check is complete. Additionally, Meta has said that this system won’t be available in places where they haven’t yet gotten approval from regulators, like the UK and the European Union.

A Step in the Right Direction

Meta’s new tools are an important step in the fight against online scams and fraudulent ads. By using facial recognition technology, Meta hopes to better protect both celebrities and regular users from falling victim to these scams. While there are still challenges to overcome, like deepfakes and privacy concerns, Meta’s efforts show that the company is taking the problem seriously.

Scammers may always be trying to stay one step ahead, but with these new tools, Meta is working hard to catch up and put an end to fake celebrity ads once and for all.