Poland has asked the European Commission to fine Meta hundreds of millions of euros: the reason

Poland officially appealed to the European Commission with a demand to fine Meta €250 million - about 1 billion zlotys - for insufficient counteraction against fraudulent advertising and other misleading content on Facebook and Instagram.

This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs of Poland Krzysztof Gawkowski.

The appeal, dated August 26, was sent to the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen.

According to Gawkowski, the decision was made after analyzing the materials, including information provided by Meta itself, as well as new reports about insufficient control over advertising on its platforms.

The minister stated that the company's inaction and ineffectiveness in combating advertising and fraudulent content harmful to Polish users are unacceptable. He expects the European Commission to swiftly investigate and impose sanctions.

Meta removed only 10 out of 122 fraudulent ads

One of the key arguments of the Polish side was the results of a check by CERT Polska, which is part of NASK.

During testing, experts reported 122 advertisements classified as fraudulent to Meta.

In 106 cases, or about 87% of all reports, Meta completed the review without removing the ad. Only 10 ads were taken down, and in six other cases the company did not respond at all.

The Polish minister also pointed out that accounts from which such advertising was distributed often continued to operate after reports of violations.

Gawkowski demands that Meta immediately introduce more effective tools for removing fraud, fake advertising, and promotion of illegal applications.

Poland cites the European DSA

Warsaw believes that the problem may be related to Meta's compliance with the requirements of the European Digital Services Act (DSA).

Facebook and Instagram in the EU have the status of very large online platforms and therefore are subject to enhanced requirements for assessing systemic risks, advertising transparency, and user protection measures.

In particular, large platforms must analyze risks associated with the operation of their systems and take proportionate measures to reduce them.

The mere fact of Poland's appeal does not mean that the €250 million fine has already been imposed. The decision to initiate proceedings, the existence of a violation, and the size of a possible sanction must be made by the European Commission.

Meta claims removal of hundreds of thousands of materials

The conflict was preceded by correspondence between the Polish government and Meta. Gawkowski demanded an explanation of the scale of fraudulent advertising in Poland, its detection mechanisms, and the speed of response to user reports.

In response, Meta stated that from July 2025 to June 2026 it removed about 137,000 ads targeted at Polish users for violations of rules on fraud and deception. According to the company, over 88% of such ads were detected by its systems before user complaints.

During the same period, Meta also announced the removal of about 380,000 pieces of content from Poland on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads for violations of rules on fraud and other misleading practices.

The company emphasized that it uses a multi-layered anti-fraud system - checks ads before publication, verifies advertisers, blocks networks of offenders, and cooperates with government agencies.

However, Gawkowski stated that Meta's response did not satisfy him, as it, in his opinion, did not contain a sufficiently concrete plan that would significantly reduce the number of fraudulent ads.

The dispute was exacerbated by fake ads featuring well-known Poles

The problem gained wide publicity in Poland after numerous cases of using images of well-known entrepreneurs, politicians, and other public figures in fraudulent advertising.

One of the most active critics of Meta was the founder of InPost, Rafał Brzoska. He repeatedly reported fake advertising materials using his image and demanded that the company block such campaigns more effectively.

After Gawkowski's announcement about the appeal to the European Commission, Brzoska supported the decision of the Polish government.

Sources: Krzysztof Gawkowski, RMF24