Meta will start using experimental facial recognition technology as it seeks to more effectively block false celebrity endorsement scams on Facebook and Instagram.

The move comes after a wave of so-called celeb-bait scam ads that have used the likenesses of Andrew Forrest, Gina Rinehart, David Koch, Guy Sebastian and many others to compel users to click and be taken to malicious websites. But it also comes around three years after Meta shut down its previous facial recognition system amid privacy and regulatory concerns.

Meta is rolling out new facial recognition tech to address two different problems.

It’s no surprise Meta is focused on celeb-bait scams. It is facing increasing pressure (and damage) from governments, regulators and celebrities to step up its efforts in crushing the ads, which are clearly effective and against Meta’s policies, but have proven difficult to detect. Australians lost $2.74 billion to scams in 2023, and tying scams to a credible identity (especially an identity people trust with financial advice, as seen in many crypto scams) is an easy way to appear legitimate.

For Meta, this is an especially urgent problem. The Facebook and Instagram parent relies on its ads business for........

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