Taipei: The Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) has fined Meta Platforms Inc. NT$2.5 million (US$81,914) for its inadequate response to an order requiring the removal of false advertisements on its social media platform Facebook.
According to Focus Taiwan, the fine was imposed on Meta due to its failure to remove false advertisements on Facebook within 24 hours of being notified by the Taipei City government. This reflects a violation of the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act, as stated by MODA’s Administration for Digital Industries.
The administration explained that the fine was based on two cases submitted by the Taipei City government on June 18 and July 14. Between these dates, the city government notified Meta of a total of 1,763 infractions related to Facebook.
Of these infractions, 77 were due to Meta’s failure to remove false ads from Facebook within the stipulated 24-hour period. While Meta had complied with the order from the Taipei City government and removed 95 percent of the reported ads in a timely manner, 5 percent failed to meet the deadline.
The administration noted that because Taipei City issued its findings to Meta via hardcopy instead of digital notifications, the company was unable to remove the remaining 5 percent of fake ads discovered by the city government within the required timeframe.
Aside from the NT$2.5 million fine, MODA has also demanded that Meta rectify the mistake in its protocols within 30 days. The remaining 1,686 of the 1,763 infractions identified by the Taipei City government involved Meta’s inadequate transparency about advertiser-related information. In these cases, Meta has turned the information over to Taiwan’s National Police Agency (NPA).
The administration indicated that with Meta’s cooperation, it will work with the Ministry of the Interior to establish a direct line of communication between tech companies like Meta and local municipalities. This system aims to encourage social media businesses to remove fake ads, thereby reducing the risks posed to Taiwanese users.