Andrew Forrest, an Australian billionaire, has filed a criminal complaint against Facebook, alleging the social media company failed to prevent clickbait advertising scams involving his image.
The action, which alleges that Facebook violated federal anti-money laundering laws, is being brought in the Western Australian Magistrates Court, Forrest's home state.
Forrest, Australia's wealthiest man and chairman of Fortescue Metals Group, stated that he was taking the action to protect people from clickbait advertising scams, such as those that use his image to promote cryptocurrency schemes.
The lawsuit, which will be heard in Western Australia's Magistrates' Court on March 28, is believed to be the first time Facebook has been charged criminally anywhere in the world. Separately, a civil lawsuit has been filed in the state of California.
Additionally, it alleges that Facebook acted criminally and irresponsibly by failing to take adequate steps to prevent criminals from using its social media platform to send scam advertisements intended to defraud Australian users.
The lawsuit stems from Forrest's repeated requests to Facebook, which rebranded as Meta last year, to prevent his image from being used to promote investment plans, including an open letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg in November 2019.
Facebook declined to comment on the lawsuit, but noted that it has always taken a "multifaceted approach" to preventing such advertisements from appearing and has blocked advertisers.
"We are committed to preventing these individuals from using our platform," a Meta spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Forrest, who was estimated to be worth $27.25 billion in mid-2021, stated that he wants social media companies to use their vast resources to protect vulnerable people who are the targets of scams.
A Meta representative declined to comment on Forrest's court case in Western Australia, citing an "active legal matter," but disclosed the company did not want ads on Facebook seeking to defraud or mislead people.
Scam advertisements promising users the chance to become wealthy through cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin are banned on Facebook, but they continue to proliferate.
Forrest said that he wanted the social media giant to clamp down on scammers who prey on the platform's most vulnerable users.
Under Australian law, a foreign corporation may not be prosecuted privately for alleged violations of the Commonwealth Criminal Code without the consent of the country's attorney general.
According to Steven Lewis, principal of Mark O'Brien Legal, which will represent Forrest in the case, the Attorney-General has consented to the private prosecution of Facebook for alleged offenses.
