Tokyo, Japan – Internal documents from Meta, seen by Reuters, reveal that the social media giant has made changes to the search mechanism in its “ad library” in Japan.
This has made fraudulent advertisements less visible to regulators,
at a time when Facebook and Instagram have witnessed a significant increase in fraudulent activity.
According to the documents, Meta filtered the search results in the Japanese advertising library,
It is a tool designed to enable researchers and regulators to track paid advertising,
including political and commercial ads.
As a result of these changes, it has become more difficult for regulators
and researchers to detect advertisements suspected of being fraudulent or misleading.
Fake investment offers
Reuters explained that this move came at a time when digital fraud was on the rise in Japan.
Scammers exploited Meta platforms to post ads targeting users
with fake investment offers or counterfeit products.
This has led to increasing financial losses for users.
The documents indicate that the changes were not purely technical,
but had a direct impact on the level of transparency.
This has reduced the ability of Japanese authorities to monitor suspicious
advertisements and take swift action against offending parties.
These practices also raised questions about Meta’s commitment to
its public pledges to combat fraud and promote transparency in digital advertising.
In contrast, Meta confirms in its official statements that it invests billions of dollars annually in fraud detection systems.
Increasing austerity measures
It works to remove millions of ads and accounts that violate the rules.
However, according to Reuters, a review of internal documents reveals
a gap between public rhetoric and actual practices within the company.
These developments come amid increasing austerity measures
by governments around the world, including Japan.
This involves regulating digital advertising and holding major
technology companies accountable for their role in protecting users.
This could open the door to broader investigations and stricter regulatory
measures against Meta in the coming period.
