Poland Requests EU Fine Meta 250 Million Euros Over Scam Advertisements
4 sources across 4 countries · Belgium · Norway · Poland · United Kingdom
Who reported this
- Politico Europe
- Aftenposten
- Notes from Poland
- Reuters
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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Poland has formally requested that the European Commission fine Meta 250 million euros for failing to combat fraudulent advertising and scams on its platforms. Krzysztof Gawkowski, Poland's digital affairs minister, sent a letter to EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen on August 26. Gawkowski argued that Meta's inaction may violate the European Union's Digital Services Act. He cited a study by CERT Polska which found that Meta rejected requests to remove 106 out of 122 reported fraudulent adverts. The request follows a campaign by billionaire Rafał Brzoska, the owner of InPost, who highlighted scams using fake images of himself and other public figures. Meta responded by stating it does not seek to profit from fraudulent advertising. The company reported that it removed 380,000 pieces of content and 137,000 adverts violating fraudulent practice policies in Poland between July 2025 and June 2026. While the European Commission has a 2024 investigation under the Digital Services Act, it has not yet opened investigations specifically for financial scams or imposed fines for broad user protection lapses. This move comes as other nations also pressure the company; South Korea recently stated that Meta's protections for young users should be applied globally. This follows a settlement in the United States where Meta agreed to pay nearly 17 billion dollars to 29 states over allegations of manipulating young users and misusing personal data.
How each side framed it
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the specific legal mechanisms of the EU request and the evidence provided by the Polish government.
- Centre-right
- This outlet framed the event as part of a broader global trend of countries seeking harder measures to tame Meta following its US settlement.
Sources
- Centre-right Aftenposten: More countries want harder weapons to tame Meta after settlement in USA
- Centre Notes from Poland: Poland asks EU to fine Meta €250m over scam Facebook ads
- Centre Politico Europe: Poland asks EU to fine Meta €250 million over scam ads
- Centre Reuters: Poland urges EU to fine Meta €250 million for scams and false ads - Reuters
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.