Facebook is often criticized by consumer advocates for not doing enough to crack down on fraudulent ads on its platform. Many of these critics have even accused the social media giant of dragging its feet on this enforcement because it’s profiting from this content. However, it’s unusual for large companies to take this stand, too. That’s why it was so notable this week when several Australian TV networks condemned Facebook parent company Meta for its handling of scam ads that feature their broadcasters.

According to these networks, represented by a company called Free TV Australia, broadcasters are having their images stolen and used to bait users into a variety of dangerous scams. And to make matters worse, Facebook has been extremely slow to take action.

“Fake ads continue to quickly reappear after they are taken down. These inadequate takedown processes damage the business reputations of broadcasters and also the personal reputations of the celebrities and media personalities that are misrepresented,” Free TV Australia said. “Notwithstanding the significant consumer harm from these scams, in addition to the reputational harm to Free TV members, the digital platforms are persistently slow in responding to takedown requests.”

Unfortunately for users, Facebook is typically more responsive to corporations than it is to advocates, so the company may actually listen to this complaint. But if that benefits every Australian user, that’s not a bad thing.

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