"The lawsuit, which was filed on May 12 in the Superior Court of Santa Clara County on behalf of all Californians, alleges that Meta "actively" participated in targeting scam advertisements to residents of California and on its global market, ultimately in violation of the state's false advertising and unfair competition laws."
"The suit is asking the court to require Meta to abide by California's advertising laws, pay civil penalties for "each act of false and misleading advertising" and unlawful act, and pay restitution. "This case is about accountability. It's about ensuring that as behemoth tech companies open up new frontiers in our society, that they aren't lawless frontiers," Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti said during a press conference."
"Meta responded to the lawsuit by noting that the county's complaint "relies on Reuters reporting that distorts our motives and ignores the full range of actions we take to combat scams every day." "We aggressively fight scams on and off our platforms because they're not good for us or the people and businesses that rely on our services," Meta said in a statement about the lawsuit."
""We removed over 159 million scam ads last year alone, launched new tools to protect people, and partnered with law enforcement around the globe to disrupt these criminals. We will fight this lawsuit." Santa Clara County's complaint heavily cites a 2025 Reuters investigation that found internal Meta documents detailing how the company earned about $7 billion from showing users scam advertisements."
Santa Clara County filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc. in Santa Clara County Superior Court on behalf of all Californians. The complaint alleges Meta actively participated in targeting scam advertisements to California residents and the global market through Facebook and Instagram, violating California false advertising and unfair competition laws. The lawsuit seeks court orders requiring compliance with California advertising laws, civil penalties for each act of false and misleading advertising and unlawful acts, and restitution. Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti said the case is about accountability and that Meta is not above the law. Meta denied wrongdoing, saying the complaint relies on Reuters reporting that distorts its motives and ignores actions taken to combat scams. Meta stated it removed over 159 million scam ads last year, launched protective tools, and partnered with law enforcement, and said it will fight the lawsuit.
#meta-platforms #facebook-and-instagram #scam-advertising #false-advertising-and-unfair-competition #california-lawsuit
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