Poland has requested that the European Commission impose a fine of 250 million euros (approximately 1.51 billion reais) on Meta. The country alleges that the company failed to adequately combat fraudulent advertisements on its digital platforms.
This request was formalized by the Minister of Digital Affairs, Krzysztof Gawkowski, following tests conducted by CERT Polska, which identified a total of 122 ads classified as fraudulent. According to the minister, 106 of these ads were not removed by Meta.
The findings were presented by Gawkowski in correspondence addressed to the European Commission on August 26. CERT Polska, which functions as the national cybersecurity incident response team, conducted the tests in question.
Of the 122 ads examined, 106, representing 86.8% of the total, remained active. Only 10 were taken down, and six cases did not even receive a response from the company. Gawkowski emphasized that there is clear evidence that the platform prioritizes its own interests over user well-being, thereby allowing the monetization of misleading advertising.
The minister argued that Meta should be subjected to effective penalties, rather than merely receiving notifications to improve its protection systems. He stated: 'The time for saying 'improve' has passed; they say 'we are improving,' but citizens do not feel it yet. Now is the time for penalties.'
Gawkowski demanded that Meta immediately implement efficient tools to eradicate illegal and fraudulent content. Among the points raised, the minister considered that the 250 million euro fine would have a deterrent effect given the scale of Meta's operations and the harm caused to users in Poland.
In response, Meta informed Reuters that it is making every effort to curb fraud on its platforms. The company stated: 'Scammers are persistent criminals who use increasingly sophisticated tactics. That is why we continue to invest heavily in technologies and partnerships—with industry and law enforcement authorities—to find, remove, and ultimately prevent scammers.'
Additionally, Gawkowski expressed his intention to discuss this issue at the next G20 summit and seek a unified position from European leaders against the practices attributed to Meta.
The company has faced a similar lawsuit in Poland before. In 2024, businessman Rafal Brzoska sued Meta over fake ads on Facebook and Instagram that used his image and disseminated false information about his wife. In April of this year, a Warsaw court of appeal ruled in favor of Meta's liability for the ads run on its networks, contradicting the company's argument that it could not be held responsible for the fraudulent actions of its users.