Poland demands EU impose €250 million penalty on Meta over fraud

Poland's government has formally requested the European Commission impose a €250 million penalty on Meta for facilitating fraudulent advertisements and scams across its social media platforms. In correspondence dated August 26, Polish officials outlined the case for regulatory action against the tech giant.

The call for sanctions stems from investigations conducted by CERT Polska, the country's computer security agency, which uncovered 122 advertisements classified as fraudulent. The testing revealed a pattern of deceptive content circulating on Meta's services, raising concerns about consumer protection across the European Union.

The move reflects growing frustration among EU member states over the prevalence of scams and misleading advertisements on major social media platforms. Regulators have increasingly scrutinized Meta's moderation practices and content governance standards as complaints mount from users victimized by online fraud schemes.

The formal complaint to the European Commission signals Poland's determination to leverage EU enforcement mechanisms to hold Meta accountable. If acted upon, the penalty would represent a significant enforcement action under the bloc's digital services regulations, sending a broader signal to technology companies about compliance expectations.