Poland’s Personal Data Protection Office (UODO) has stepped up efforts to combat false advertising online, announcing new cooperation with major social media platforms to counter scams known as “celeb bait.”

The practice involves using the images of celebrities or ordinary social media users without consent to trick people into sharing personal data, money, or other benefits. Fraudsters often enhance these ads with deepfake technology, creating highly realistic but misleading images, videos, or audio.

Mirosław Wróblewski, President of UODO, said the authority is working closely with the Irish Data Protection Commission and major platforms like Meta to implement safeguards that protect both individuals whose images are misused and the users who may fall victim to scams.

Meta has introduced a tool that relies on a secure database containing the profiles of famous people. If a scanned advertisement contains an image matching one in the database, a procedure is triggered that leads to the removal of the fraudulent content. The system requires prior consent from individuals before their images are stored and provides clear information about its purpose and data handling.

UODO emphasized that the mechanism aims to ensure compliance with data protection principles while offering stronger protection for internet users. Those who suspect their data is being misused in fake ads are encouraged to report suspicious content directly through Meta’s “Report ad” feature.

The Polish authority said it will continue to cooperate with platform operators and data protection officers across Europe to develop new solutions against online fraud. Each individual complaint will still be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to guarantee effective legal protection of citizens’ rights.

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