'Celeb-baiting' – whereby a celebrity's face is used for scam ads - is increasingly common on social media. — Photo: Zacharie Scheurer/dpa
LONDON: Facial recognition technology used by Meta to spot scam adverts featuring celebrities is to be introduced in the EU and the EU for the first time.
The social media giant, which owns Facebook and Instagram, first began testing the technology in other parts of the world late last year, but confirmed that after working with regulators it was now expanding its use.
The technology works by spotting an advert it believes to be a scam, and contains an image of a public figure the platform has identified as at risk from so-called “celeb-bait”, before using facial recognition tools to compare faces in the ad against images from the public figure’s official profiles.
If it is a match and the ad is identified as a scam, it will be blocked, Meta said.
Meta said it believed the tools will help to detect and stop malicious actors from misusing public figures’ images for crime.
In addition, Meta confirmed the facial recognition technology will be used to give users a new way to verify their identity to regain access to a locked or compromised account.
Users will be able to submit a video selfie as a new way to prove their identity, which will be analysed by the tech, the social media giant said.
“Scams and account security are top of mind for people,” Meta’s David Agranovich, a director on the firm’s security policy team, said.
“We’re constantly working on new ways to keep people safe while keeping bad actors out, and the measures we’re rolling out this week utilise facial recognition technology to help us crack down on fake celebrity scams – commonly referred to as celeb-bait, and to enable faster account recovery for people whose accounts have been locked or potentially hacked.”
Concerns around celeb-bait ads in the UK have recently been highlighted by BBC presenter Naga Munchetty, who revealed how she had discovered deepfake images of herself online being used in scam ads.
Mark Tierney, chief executive of Stop Scams UK, said Meta’s update was a “crucial step” towards protecting users from such content.
“Scams can have a devastating impact on people’s lives, causing not only financial loss, but also emotional distress and a loss of trust in online platforms,” he said.
“By leveraging advanced technology, Meta is taking a crucial step towards protecting users from these harmful activities.
“Every sector has a role to play in creating a safer digital environment through sharing and collaborating with each other. Consumers can help too by reporting suspicious activities.
“Together we can work towards reducing the prevalence of scams." – PA Media/dpa
