Japan industry ministry to ask social media firms to tackle fake ad problem | NHK

Japan’s industry ministry plans to ask major IT companies to take measures to prevent fake advertisements from being posted on their platforms.

The move comes amid an increase in cases of fraud by celebrity impersonators on social media ads soliciting investment. The names and images of celebrities are used in such ads without consent.

The ministry has questioned Google, LY Corporation and Meta, which operates Facebook, about fake ads on social media, and released the findings from the survey.

The ministry has found that the IT companies had received, in the 3-month period since March, tens of thousands of reports about fake ads and requests to delete them.

The ministry asked the firms about their screening process to prevent fake ads from being posted.

It found Meta only confirms the identification of an advertiser if the person’s post relates to certain topics, such as social problems and elections.

Google and LY Corporation said they examine ads by a combination of human eyes and machines, while Meta answered that it does so mainly by machines.

The ministry says it is concerning that Meta responds to a problem only if it results in tangible damage, and that Meta’s identification checks may be insufficient.

The ministry plans to ask the firms to respond to complaints and deletion requests appropriately and reflect them in their screenings.