Meta Under Fire: Nationwide Lawsuit Targets Tech Giant for Failing to Stop Deceptive Celebrity Ads

Amidst a series of fraud losses due to false advertisements on SNS using celebrities, victims in Kansai and Kanto filed a lawsuit against ‘Meta’, which operates Facebook, for a total of 400 million yen, claiming that they “caused damage by neglecting false advertisements.” A lawsuit seeking damages was filed simultaneously in five regional courts across the country.

On the morning of the 29th, eight people living in Osaka Prefecture and Nara Prefecture filed a lawsuit at the Osaka District Court.

According to the lawsuit, eight people were deceived and suffered financial losses after hearing about investment through a false advertisement posted on Facebook or Instagram that used celebrities such as businessman Yusaku Maezawa.

The plaintiff claimed that “they caused fraud damage by neglecting false advertisements without verifying whether the contents of the advertisements were true,” and sought compensation of approximately 187 million yen against the U.S. Meta headquarters and Meta Japan subsidiary, which operates Facebook and other companies. I’m asking for it.

Such lawsuits were also filed simultaneously in courts in Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba, and Saitama on the morning of the 29th. It is reported that the plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit are a total of 30 individuals and corporations, and the total amount of claims is 435 million yen.