Meta testing facial recognition for spotting ‘celeb-bait’ ads scams

Meta said in a blog post on Monday: “Scammers are relentless and continuously evolve their tactics to try to evade detection, so we’re building on our existing defenses by testing new ways to protect people and make it harder for scammers to deceive others. We’re testing the use of facial recognition technology to detect and prevent celeb-bait ads on our platforms. We’re also testing this technology as a means for people to verify their identity and regain access to compromised accounts.” The company said “Scammers often try to use images of public figures, such as content creators or celebrities, to bait people into engaging with ads that lead to scam websites, where they are asked to share personal information or send money. This scheme, commonly called ‘celeb-bait,’ violates our policies and is bad for people that use our products.” Meta said early testing with a small group of celebrities and public figures “shows promising results in increasing the speed and efficacy with which we can detect and enforce against this type of scam.” In the coming weeks, Meta said it will start showing in-app notifications to a larger group of public figures who’ve been impacted by celeb-bait “letting them know we’re enrolling them in this protection.”