Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, is rolling out a new tool designed to fight fraudulent advertisements using manipulated images of celebrities.
This feature, which uses facial recognition, will be available soon to public figures in Britain, the European Union, and South Korea.
The tool has already undergone trials in other regions, with plans for further expansion to include more celebrities.
The facial recognition system will scan celebrities’ profile photos and compare them to faces found in suspicious ads. If it detects misuse, it will block the ads automatically.
In addition to combating fake celebrity ads, Meta is also integrating facial recognition into its account recovery process.
Users who opt into this feature can verify their identity by recording a short video if they lose access to their accounts.
Meta assured users that facial data will only be used for verification and will be deleted immediately after.
Although Meta paused facial recognition in 2021 due to privacy concerns, it reinstated the technology in late 2024 to address deceptive online ads.
The company says the new feature aligns with European data protection laws.
