The District Court of Western Australia has dismissed Australian mining billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest’s suit against Meta, citing insufficient evidence. Forrest had accused Meta of profiting from scam crypto ads featuring his image on its platforms, resulting in financial losses for unsuspecting individuals.
Forrest, chairman of Fortescue Metals and one of Australia’s wealthiest individuals, personally filed criminal charges against Meta in February 2022 under Commonwealth Criminal Code Anti-Money Laundering sections. He alleged that Meta knowingly benefited from illegal ads and failed to remove them.
Meta, which operates Facebook and Instagram, among other platforms, pleaded not guilty to the charges in December 2023. Despite Forrest’s claims, the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions dropped the suit due to a lack of evidence. Forrest expressed disappointment, criticizing Meta for evading accountability and allowing scams to thrive on its platforms.
In response, Meta reiterated its commitment to combating scams and safeguarding users. However, Forrest pursued a civil suit against Meta in California Northern District Court in June 2022, alleging that the company’s advertising interface facilitated scam development. Meta filed a motion to dismiss this case in January.
Despite legal actions, fraudulent ads featuring Forrest’s image persist on Meta platforms. In February, Cybertrace discovered deep-fake images of Forrest in Facebook ads. Additionally, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, sued two individuals in China for creating scam apps downloaded over 100,000 times from the platform.
The legal battle underscores the challenges posed by online scams and the responsibility of tech companies to address them effectively.
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