**Meta Tests Facial Recognition to Combat Fake Celebrity Scam Ads**

Meta, the social media giant with nearly 4 billion users, is trialing facial recognition technology to tackle fake celebrity scam ads. Early tests with a small group of celebrities have shown promising results. In the coming weeks, Meta plans to expand this trial to 50,000 celebrities and public figures.

The system works by comparing images in ads against celebrities' profile pictures on Facebook and Instagram. If a match is confirmed and the ad is deemed a scam, it will be blocked. Celebrities like Elon Musk and Oprah Winfrey have been impersonated in such scams before.

This initiative is part of Meta's broader effort to combat "celeb-bait" scams, which violate its policies and harm users. The company will notify targeted celebrities via in-app messages about their enrollment in this protection measure, with an option to opt-out.

However, Meta must tread carefully after a recent $1.4 billion settlement with Texas over unauthorized use of biometric data. The company assures that facial data used to detect scams will be immediately deleted. Additionally, facial recognition will help users verify their identity to regain access to compromised accounts.

Despite the rise in crypto scam ads, Meta disputes claims that nearly 60% of crypto investment schemes on Facebook were scams, as reported by Australia's consumer regulator. Many victims are lured into these scams through AI-generated deepfakes.