Oct 22, 2024 10:50:00

Meta announces that it will introduce a facial recognition system to combat 'fraudulent advertising using the faces of celebrities without permission' rampant on Facebook and Instagram

In order to combat ads that use photos of celebrities and public figures to lead users to fraudulent websites, Meta has revealed that it is rolling out a facial recognition system that will compare the faces of celebrities in ads with their Facebook and Instagram profile photos.

Testing New Ways to Combat Scams and Help Restore Access to Compromised Accounts | Meta

https://about.fb.com/news/2024/10/testing-combat-scams-restore-compromised-accounts/

Meta tests facial recognition for spotting 'celeb-bait' ads scams and easier account recovery | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/21/meta-tests-facial-recognition-for-spotting-celeb-bait-ads-scams-and-easier-account-recovery/

Advertisements often appear on Facebook and Instagram using the faces of celebrities to grab people's attention.

According to Meta, ads using images of celebrities are being displayed to lead users to fraudulent websites that ask for personal information and money. Facebook and Instagram are displaying a large number of fraudulent ads that use the faces and names of celebrities without permission, and in Japan, there has been a problem with a large number of malicious ads that use the faces of celebrities such as Yusaku Maezawa and Takafumi Horie without permission.

Meta finally issues statement on fraudulent ads, but without any improvement plan, just excuses that 'reviewing a huge number of ads around the world comes with challenges' - GIGAZINE

To combat this type of fraud, known as 'celebrity fraud,' Meta is introducing a facial recognition system.

According to Meta, if the system detects an ad that could be a celebrity scam, it will use facial recognition to compare 'the celebrity's face in the ad with the celebrity's Facebook or Instagram profile photo,' and if there is a match, the ad will be blocked.

Early testing on a small number of celebrities and public figures shows promising results in increasing the speed and effectiveness of celebrity fraud detection.

Meta plans to begin sending in-app notifications to several public figures who have fallen victim to celebrity scams in the coming weeks, informing them that they have been enrolled in the facial recognition system. Public figures who are enrolled in the system can opt out at any time in their account center.

In addition to the above, methods are being developed to use facial recognition systems to verify the identity of account holders.

According to Meta, while previously users were required to upload a government-issued ID to restore lost access, they are now testing an alternative: uploading a selfie video.

With this method, users can upload a selfie video and a facial recognition system will compare it with the account's profile picture and video to verify that it is the person in question.

'Video selfie authentication takes just one minute and is the easiest way to verify your identity, expanding your options for regaining access. We know that hackers will continue to try to abuse account recovery tools, but video verification is less likely to be exploited than traditional document-based authentication,' Meta said.