Business224 comments in the community
Cuban: Facebook knowingly runs AI deepfake scam ads; docs say $16B fraud revenue
Hacker News: Front Page ·
The Brief
- Mark Cuban says Facebook knowingly runs AI deepfake scam ads.
- Cuban cites documents that he says show about $16B in fraud-related revenue.
- The claim was shared on Hacker News with 509 points and 224 comments.
Why it matters
Deepfake scam ads on large platforms can expose users and businesses to fraud, and allegations that a platform knowingly profits from them may bring regulatory or legal scrutiny that affects how ad systems work.
Who’s affected
- Facebook and Instagram users
- Businesses advertising on Meta platforms
- #meta
- #scam-ads
- #deepfakes
- #advertising
- #fraud
What developers are saying
Based on 224 comments · Mostly critical
Commenters largely condemn Meta for tolerating scam ads, citing personal experiences with scams and the view that the company profits from them. Many call for legal liability or regulation, such as removing Section 230 protections, while others doubt companies will act without financial or legal pressure. Several note that Google, YouTube, eBay and other platforms have similar problems.
- Platform liability and Section 23020%
- Scam ads normalised across platforms25%
- Profit over enforcement30%
- Weak regulation and incentives15%
- Where to draw the line on ads10%
In favour
- + Hold platforms and advertisers liable for the ads they run
- + Remove Section 230 protections so platforms face the same rules as other businesses
- + Use AI tools to screen scam ads, as Google could do itself
Concerns
- − Platforms have little incentive to cut revenue from scam ads
- − Drawing a line between scam and merely aggressive advertising is hard
- − Scam ads appear across many platforms, not only Meta
“We've completely normalised big tech pushing straight up scams on the population.”
“Remove section 230 fixes this problem.”
“The CEOs and controlling shareholders should be sent straight to jail.”