Poland demands €250M fine on Meta over fraudulent ads

Poland’s digital affairs minister Krzysztof Gawkowski on Thursday urged the European Commission to impose a €250-million ($291-million) fine on Meta over fraudulent advertisements and harmful content targeting Polish users, calling for an end to what he described as a "Wild West" environment on the platform. "This Wild West on the platform must end," Gawkowski said on X, adding that he expects Meta to "immediately introduce effective tools to eliminate scams, false advertising, and the promotion of illegal applications."

The minister published part of a letter addressed to Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s executive vice president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy. "The scale of this phenomenon points to a significant problem with the way advertising works on one of the largest online platforms in the European single market," the letter stated, noting that Meta had failed to take effective action despite repeated reports from Polish authorities and cybersecurity teams. "Inaction and failure to effectively combat harmful advertisements and fraudulent content targeting Polish users will not be tolerated," Gawkowski warned.

Deepfake scams target Polish president, business figures

The appeal followed renewed concern over deepfake content after an AI-generated video impersonating Polish President Karol Nawrocki and promoting a fraudulent investment scheme circulated on Facebook, according to reports. Polish billionaire Rafal Brzoska, founder of parcel delivery company InPost, also recently criticized the unauthorized use of his image in fraudulent advertisements on Meta-owned platforms.

Meta cites ad removal statistics

Meta said combating fraudulent advertising was "one of the most complex challenges currently facing digital ecosystems," requiring cooperation among platforms, governments and law enforcement agencies. The company reported removing approximately 137,000 advertisements originating in Poland between July 2025 and June 2026 for violating fraud policies, with more than 88% taken down before users reported them. Gawkowski, however, said Meta had not presented convincing or effective measures to protect users.