The Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) has fined Meta Platforms Inc NT$2.5 million (US$81,739) for its inadequate response to an order requiring the removal of false advertisements on Facebook.
The penalty was imposed after Meta failed to remove false advertisements on Facebook within 24 hours of being notified by the Taipei City Government, which constitutes a contravention of the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act (詐欺犯罪危害防制條例), the Administration for Digital Industries said on Thursday.
The fine was based on two cases submitted by the Taipei City Government on June 18 and on July 14, it said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The city government notified the company of a total of 1,763 infractions relating to Facebook between the two dates.
Of the infractions, 77 were for Meta’s failure to remove false ads from Facebook within 24 hours.
While Meta had already complied with the order from the city government and removed 95 percent of the reported ads in a timely manner, 5 percent failed to meet the 24-hour deadline, the agency said.
As Taipei issued its findings to Meta via hardcopy rather than digital notifications, the agency said the US firm was unable to remove the remaining 5 percent of fake ads within the required timeframe.
On top of the NT$2.5 million fine, the ministry also demanded that Meta rectify the mistake in its protocols within 30 days, the agency said.
Of the 1,763 infractions identified by the city government, 1,686 involved Meta’s lack of transparency regarding advertiser information, officials said. In those cases, the company has since provided the data to the National Police Agency.
With Meta cooperating, the agency said it would coordinate with the Ministry of the Interior to establish a direct channel of communication between tech firms and local governments.
The system would encourage social media companies to remove fake ads to lower the risks posed to Taiwanese users, it said.
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