Polish billionaire takes on Meta over deepfake ads, predicts ‘long battle’
A prominent Polish billionaire known as the “Locker King” said he is considering taking legal action against Meta for allowing the spread of “deepfake” advertisements depicting him and his wife.
Earlier this month, Poland’s Personal Data Protection Office imposed a three-month ban blocking Meta from publishing fake ads using the real data and images of business executive Rafal Brzoska and his wife, local journalist and TV host Omena Mensah.
Brzoska – who built an estimated $1 billion fortune as founder and CEO of the parcel storage and delivery firm InPost – signaled that decision is likely just the start of a campaign to hold the Facebook and Instagram parent accountable.
“It will be the long battle, and I want to find out how big are revenues from ads that use deepfakes for fraudulent purposes,” Brzoska said in an interview with Bloomberg.
Brzoska and Mensah identified “as many as 263 advertisements” in their complaint to Poland’s Personal Data Protection Office, according to the agency’s press release. Meta was first informed of the issue on July 4.
The complaint was referred to Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, which serves as Meta’s regulator in Europe and has repeatedly cracked down on the social media giant over its data practices in recent years.
“False information has been circulated on Facebook regarding the journalist’s death, the fact that she was beaten by her husband, or that she was sent to prison,” Poland’s Personal Data Protection Office said.
The Post has reached out to Meta and Ireland’s Data Protection Commission for comment.
Brzoska told Reuters that he and his wife plan to file a separate lawsuit against Meta and will “decide in the next few weeks” on the jurisdiction.
“We are considering absolutely all scenarios, including a lawsuit in the United States if there is inaction in Europe,” Brzoska added.
In a statement last week Meta said it was examining Poland’s three-month ban.
“Scammers use every platform available to them to defraud people and constantly adapt to evade getting caught. Scam content breaks our rules and we remove it when we find it,” a Meta spokesperson said at the time.
“We also partner with businesses, local administrations and law enforcement to defeat these committed criminals.”
The spat is the latest sign of mounting scrutiny of the rise of AI-generated “deepfake” images on Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms.
In April, Meta’s oversight board said it was examining the company’s handling of two instances of AI-generated pornographic images, including an unnamed “American public figure,” that had spread on its apps.
That followed the alarming spread earlier in the year of fake nudge images of Taylor Swift on social media, which sparked calls from lawmakers for new legislation protecting users.
