Meta fined NT$15 million for lack of transparency about advertisers

Taipei, June 30 (CNA) Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, has been fined NT$15 million (US$512,864) by Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) for its inadequate transparency on information related to advertisers.

MODA fined the Silicon Valley giant for 23 recently reported cases involving incomplete transparency about advertisers, saying it failed to comply with the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act.

Under the Act, online advertising platform operators are required to disclose information related to those who commissioned an ad or put up the money for it.

This is the second fine in 40 days that Mark Zuckerberg's company has received in Taiwan for the same reason. The previous fine -- NT$1 million -- was issued on May 22.

Facebook has been seen in Taiwan as a major source of fraudulent ads.

A survey by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) in the second half of 2024 found that more than 60 percent of Taiwanese respondents had encountered fraudulent messages on the Meta platform, according to CommonWealth Magazine.

In a statement, Meta said it has revamped its verification process across its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, since 2024, and users are now unable to place ads without completing the process.

More than 146,000 ad accounts and 1.6 million scam ads have been removed from its platforms in 2024, the company said.

The company will continue working to improve transparency and will cooperate with MODA and the Criminal Investigation Bureau to ensure platform security, it said.

MODA said it has asked Meta to resolve the issue within 30 days, or it will face a follow-up fine.