Facebook Sued Over Crypto Scam Ads From Australian Mining Billionaire

Share

Iron ore magnate Andrew Forrest said on Thursday he is launching criminal proceedings against Meta’s Facebook in an Australian court, alleging that it breached anti-money laundering laws and its platform is used to scam Australians.

Forrest, Australia’s richest man and chairman of Fortescue Metals Group, said he was taking the action to stop people losing money to clickbait advertising scams, such as ones using his image to promote cryptocurrency schemes.

The lawsuit filed by Forrest in the Magistrates Court of Western Australia alleges Facebook “failed to create controls or a corporate culture to prevent its systems being used to commit crime.”

It also alleges Facebook was criminally reckless by not taking sufficient steps to stop criminals from using its social media platform to send scam advertisements to defraud Australian users.

The lawsuit comes after Forrest said he made several requests asking Facebook to prevent his image from being used to promote investment plans, including in an open letter to Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg in November 2019.

Facebook, which changed its name to Meta last year, declined to comment on the lawsuit but said that in general it has always taken a “multifaceted approach” to stop such ads appearing and had blocked advertisers.

“We’re committed to keeping these people off our platform,” a spokesperson for Meta said in an emailed statement.

Some advertisements, which have used Forrest’s image and claimed to promote cryptocurrency investment schemes, have appeared on Facebook since March 2019, the lawsuit said.

“This action is being taken on behalf of those everyday Australians – Mums and Dads, Grans and Grandads – who work all their lives to gather their savings and to ensure those savings aren’t swindled away by scammers,” Forrest said in a statement.

Under Australian law, a private prosecution of a foreign corporation for alleged offences under the Commonwealth Criminal Code requires the consent of the country’s attorney general.

“The Attorney-General has given her consent to the private prosecution against Facebook in relation to alleged offences under subsection 400.7(2) of the Criminal Code,” said Steven Lewis, principal of Mark O’Brien Legal, which will represent Forrest in the case.

The office of Attorney General Michaelia Cash did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

If Facebook is found guilty, it will face a maximum penalty of AUD 126,000 (roughly Rs. 67.12 lakh) on each of three charges, Lewis said.

An initial hearing has been set for March 28, Forrest said.

In September last year, Forrest filed a separate civil case against Facebook in the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo.

Facebook has been under pressure in Australia after disagreeing initially with a new law that required it and Google to pay for links to media companies’ content.

© Thomson Reuters 2022


Interested in cryptocurrency? We discuss all things crypto with WazirX CEO Nischal Shetty and WeekendInvesting founder Alok Jain on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Cryptocurrency is an unregulated digital currency, not a legal tender and subject to market risks. The information provided in the article is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice, trading advice or any other advice or recommendation of any sort offered or endorsed by NDTV. NDTV shall not be responsible for any loss arising from any investment based on any perceived recommendation, forecast or any other information contained in the article.

Source link


Share

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Translate »

https://www.monicaantinarelli.com.br/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.barkranger.net/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.segurancagrupodiretiva.com.br/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.movimientosalud2030.com/es/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.insigh7s.com/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.mykonosoliveoiltasting.com/es/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.cardinalplasticsurgery.com/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.moonmeadowsfarm.org/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.elevateorganichair.com/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.blueberrysports.com.br/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.rosewood.edu.na/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.growurpotential.org/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.northernfishingschool.com/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.divinationtattoo.com/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.assicolf.it/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.myfzn.com/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.rentonrowingcenter.org/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.upacademy.edu.vn/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.bglc.es/forum/general-discussions/19-daftar-situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin-2022

https://www.ainfgib.com/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.52collection.com/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.branchanddaughter.com/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.kwlsradio.com/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.jameypricephoto.com/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.ify-vietnam.org/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.rosaluxgallery.com/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.thelarksheadshop.com/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile

https://www.yusufjadwat.com/profile/situs-slot-online-gacor-terbaru-gampang-maxwin/profile