Key facts
- Poland has requested the European Commission fine Meta €250 million.
- The fine is for Meta's alleged failure to effectively combat scams and false advertising.
- Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs, Krzysztof Gawkowski, sent a letter to EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen.
- Polish authorities reported 122 fraudulent ads to Meta, with only 13% removed.
- A consumer group found only 27% of fraudulent ads were removed across Google, Meta, and TikTok in 13 countries.
Poland has formally requested the European Commission to impose a €250 million fine on Meta, alleging the company's failure to adequately address scams and false advertisements on its platforms. Krzysztof Gawkowski, Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs, sent a letter to EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen detailing the concerns and urging Meta to implement more effective tools against illegal content.
Polish authorities and cybersecurity teams have repeatedly notified Meta about inadequate responses to scam advertisements. A cybersecurity team within Poland's National Research Institute reported 122 advertisements as fraudulent, but only 13 percent were removed. Gawkowski also cited a complaint from the consumer organization BEUC, which found that across 13 countries, only 27 percent of fraudulent ads were removed from Google, Meta, and TikTok.
The European Commission, which oversees large platforms under the Digital Services Act (DSA), has yet to open investigations or impose fines on social media companies for broader user protection lapses. Gawkowski is asking for an investigation into breaches of six articles of the DSA, including risk assessment, mitigation, advertiser transparency, and mechanisms for reporting illegal content. The DSA allows for fines up to 6% of a company's global annual turnover for serious breaches.