Polish government urges Brussels to hit the tech giant with €250m fine for failing to tackle fraudulent advertisements on Facebook and Instagram.
The move follows a renewed dispute involving billionaire Rafał Brzoska, founder and CEO of InPost, the parcel-locker company and one of Europe’s biggest delivery firms. His identity has repeatedly been used to promote fake investments.
“Inaction and ineffectiveness in combating harmful advertisements and fraudulent content targeting Poles will not be tolerated,” Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski wrote on X. He also called on Meta to introduce effective tools to eliminate scams, false advertising and the promotion of illegal applications. “This Wild West on the platform must come to an end,” he added.
Poland’s appeal to Brussels came after another fraudulent advert showed an AI-generated image of Mr Brzoska in handcuffs and falsely claimed that he had died. The businessman said the advert had circulated widely enough for his children to ask him about it.
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After Mr Brzoska publicly criticised Meta, Instagram temporarily blocked his account because of what the platform described as “unusual activity”. It was later restored. Mr Gawkowski intervened, calling the episode “censorship in its darkest form”. He asked Meta to explain how it was tackling fraudulent advertising.
Meta told the Polish government that it regarded fraudulent advertising as a priority and had removed approximately 137,000 adverts originating in Poland between July 2025 and June 2026 for breaching its rules on scams and fraud. The company said more than 88 per cent were detected and removed before users reported them.
According to Mr Gawkowski the response still offered no convincing method for protecting users. He asked the Commission to impose a €250m fine.
Brzoska’s campaign increases pressure
Mr Brzoska and his wife, journalist and philanthropist Omenaa Mensah, have challenged Meta over such advertisements since 2024. Some used deepfake versions of Mr Brzoska to recommend investment platforms, while others published fabricated claims about Ms Mensah. Ms Mensah initially identified more than 260 advertisements.
In March, the Warsaw Court of Appeal upheld interim protection for Ms Mensah and found that Meta could be potentially held responsible for distributing the adverts. The court questioned Meta’s argument that it acted only as a passive host, noting its involvement in accepting, reviewing and targeting paid advertisements.
Although Brzoska’s campaign prompted the Polish intervention, the problem extends beyond Poland. Similar fraudulent advertising campaigns, including some impersonating public figures, have been reported in Lithuania, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
Commission can investigate Meta
Poland cannot impose the requested fine itself. Facebook and Instagram are designated as very large online platforms under the Digital Services Act, making the European Commission responsible for supervising their additional obligations.
Inaction and ineffectiveness in combating harmful advertisements and fraudulent content targeting Poles will not be tolerated. — Krzysztof Gawkowski, Digital Affairs Minister of Poland
The legislation requires very large online platforms to assess and reduce systemic risks and operate effective mechanisms for reporting illegal content. Violations can result in fines of up to six per cent of a company’s worldwide annual turnover. The €250m proposed by Poland is therefore a request, while the Commission must conduct its own investigation and determine any penalty.
The Commission already opened proceedings against Meta in 2024 over suspected failures involving deceptive advertising and mechanisms for reporting illegal content. Poland’s demand comes as Meta agreed to pay up to $18bn in US settlements over allegations that Facebook and Instagram were designed to addict children, while continuing to deny wrongdoing.
