[Breaking News]Meta, the company that runs Facebook, takes stance to fight “fraudulent advertising” that impersonates Maezawa and other famous people. “We had no duty of care.” Trial begins against Meta Japan in Kobe District Court | YTV NEWS NNN

A trial began at the Kobe District Court on the 27th in which victims are seeking damages from the Japanese subsidiary of Meta, which operates Facebook and other social media platforms, for fraudulent advertisements that impersonated famous people such as Yusaku Maezawa. Ahead of the first oral argument on the 27th, Meta submitted a written response to the court, indicating its intention to fight the case, arguing that it “has no duty of care regarding its advertisements.”

According to the complaint, four men and women living in Kobe and Tokyo accessed fraudulent advertisements on Meta's Facebook and Instagram services, impersonating businessmen Yusaku Maezawa and Hiroyuki Maezawa, and calling for investments, and then transferred money to a specified account as investment funds. The total amount of damage exceeded 32 million yen, with some victims transferring a total of 21.65 million yen over 15 times.

The plaintiffs claim that Meta has an obligation to investigate and verify the content of advertisements on social media, and that despite the rampant investment fraud caused by false advertisements using the names and photos of celebrities since early 2023, the company continued to receive advertising revenue without investigating the veracity of the advertisement content. They are seeking approximately 23 million yen in damages from Meta's Japanese subsidiary.

The first oral argument took place at the Kobe District Court on the afternoon of the 27th. Prior to the trial, Meta submitted a written response to the court, requesting that the claim be dismissed, stating that the company “has no obligation to exercise due care in its advertising.”