Meta's Oversight Board Criticizes Inadequate Response to Celebrity Deepfake Scams

Meta's Oversight Board Criticizes Deepfake Scam Handling

Meta's Oversight Board has issued a scathing critique of the company's approach to combating celebrity deepfake scams on its platforms. The board's decision comes in response to a case involving an AI-manipulated video of Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo Nazário, which was used to promote a fraudulent online game called Plinko 1

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The Ronaldo Nazário Deepfake Case

The video in question featured a poorly synchronized voiceover of Ronaldo urging users to play Plinko, falsely promising higher earnings than common jobs in Brazil. Despite being reported over 50 times as a scam, the content remained online, garnering more than 600,000 views before the Oversight Board intervened 2

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Oversight Board's Findings

The board concluded that Meta is likely allowing a significant amount of scam content on its platforms to avoid potentially over-enforcing against genuine celebrity endorsements. They found that at-scale reviewers are not empowered to enforce prohibitions on content that establishes fake personas or impersonates famous individuals for fraudulent purposes 1

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Recommendations and Meta's Response

Source: Engadget

The Oversight Board recommended that Meta update its internal guidelines, empower content reviewers to identify such scams, and train them on indicators of AI-manipulated content. In response, Meta disputed some of the board's claims, stating that they are testing facial recognition technology to combat "celeb-bait" scams and enforcing aggressively against such activities 1

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Broader Implications and Concerns

This case highlights growing concerns over AI-generated images that falsely depict people, which are increasingly being deployed for scams, fraud, and misinformation. The problem extends beyond Ronaldo, with the board noting thousands of video ads promoting the Plinko app, some featuring other celebrities and even Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg 1

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Legislative Action and Industry Response

The issue of deepfake abuse has prompted legislative action. In May, the bipartisan Take It Down Act was signed into law, mandating that platforms remove non-consensual, intimate, AI-generated images within 48 hours. This law responds to an increase in deepfake pornography and image-based abuse affecting celebrities and minors 2

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Meta's Challenges and Criticisms

Meta faces ongoing criticism for its handling of scams on its platforms. The Wall Street Journal reported that Meta accounted for nearly half of all reported scams on Zelle for JPMorgan Chase between 2023 and 2024. Critics argue that Meta is reluctant to add friction to its ad-buying process and hesitates to ban advertisers, even those with a history of conducting scams 1

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