Meta deepfake lawsuits filed in Brazil and China target individuals and companies using celebrity AI to run fraudulent ads on social media

US tech giant Meta Platforms, Inc. has filed lawsuits against multiple individuals and companies in Brazil and China for using AI-generated celebrity deepfakes to advertise products and scam consumers on its platforms.

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Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, stated the legal actions target “four scam advertisers who impersonated well-known celebrities and brands to deceive and defraud people.”

In Brazil, Meta sued B&B Suplementos e Cosmeticos, Brites Academia de Treinamento, and two individuals for operating a scheme that used deepfakes of a prominent physician to promote healthcare products lacking regulatory approval. Brites also allegedly sold courses teaching the same deceptive tactics.

Renowned Brazilian oncologist Drauzio Varella, one of the impersonated figures, criticised Meta’s response, calling it “a drop in the ocean of fraud against public health.”

He told O Globo that the platforms were “partners in the fraud” due to their vast reach, adding that Meta earns billions by distributing the content widely.

The company also filed suits against Brazilian individuals Vitor Lourenco de Souza and Milena Luciani Sanchez for similar deepfake-based scams.

In China, Meta sued Shenzhen Yunzheng Technology for using celebrity bait ads to target users in the US, Japan, and other countries, as part of a wider investment fraud scheme.

Additionally, the company filed suit against Vietnamese company Ly Van Lam, which allegedly published fraudulent advertisements for Longchamp luxury handbags.

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Meta said the lawsuits aim to hold perpetrators accountable and deter the growing use of AI-generated deepfakes in online scams, a practice the company described as increasingly sophisticated and global in reach.