Social giants ‘slow’ to remove fake images of TV stars

Mar 28, 2023 at 07:13 pm by admin


Australian TV networks have complained that Facebook parent Meta was slow to deal with fake news stories and crypto scam ads featuring their stars.

Broadcast industry group FreeTV Australia said their reputations had been damaged by scams using images of TV stars including David Koch and Karl Stefanovic.

In a submission to the Senate inquiry into digital platforms, they also cited scam ads on Facebook featuring fake endorsements from Nine’s Georgie Gardner and former Today Show host Allison Langdon as well as Today host Stefanovic and Sunrise host Koch.

A doctored image of prime minister Anthony Albanese was also among “many fake celebrity endorsements that baited and lured users”, Free TV said.

Last year the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission took Meta to the federal court year alleging it had “aided and abetted” celebrity scam ads that had deceived Australians.

The ACCC told the inquiry losses from scam ads on social networks had almost doubled from a reported $49 million in 2020 to $92 million in 2021, with actual figures likely to be much higher.

FreeTV says platforms should be required to ensure the content they were publishing was not “fake, damaging, misleading or defamatory”, and called for a social media code specifically targeting scam ads.

A sixth interim report from the digital platforms inquiry is due this week.

Pictured: Allison Langdon and Karl Stefanovic (photo Nine)

Sections: Digital business

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