Tech giant Meta is introducing a new service for public figures such as politicians and celebrities across the EU to protect them from so-called “celeb-bait” fake advertisements using their image.

The service uses facial recognition technology to help detect and prevent such scam ads on Meta’s platforms, Facebook and Instagram.

A number of senior Irish politicians including Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers have had images of them used without their consent in fake ads on websites not owned by Meta.

In 2022 broadcaster Miriam O’Callaghan got an apology from Facebook as part of the settlement of her High Court action over defamatory and untrue adverts using her image that were posted by a third party on the social media platform.

Meta flagged its new facial recognition technology service in an email to Mr Chambers last month that was released to The Irish Times after a freedom of information request.

In the March 6th email Meta’s public policy manager in Ireland, Stephanie Anderson, highlighted the measure to “combat celeb-bait” on its platforms.

She set out how celeb-bait is “where criminals seek to scam people out of their money using images of high-profile individuals” and added: “we will now begin rolling out facial recognition technology in the EU in order to help detect and prevent these scams.”

She added that the technology was already live in other countries. “We wanted to bring this solution to users in Europe sooner,” she said. “Unfortunately it is an example of how Europe’s regulatory system is currently slowing down innovation.”

In the coming weeks, public figures will start seeing in-app notifications letting them know they can now opt in to receive the celeb-bait protection with facial recognition technology, Ms Anderson said.

Meta did not respond to questions from The Irish Times on how many politicians or other people in Ireland have opted in to the service so far.

In 2022 Facebook apologised unreservedly to Ms O’Callaghan as part of the settlement of her High Court action.

In the proceedings Ms O’Callaghan claimed she was defamed, and sought damages over a series of false and malicious adverts containing her image and name on Facebook and Instagram in May 2018.

As part of the settlement, Facebook’s counsel read an agreed statement to the court, where it was acknowledged that the proceedings over the publication of misleading adverts published on Facebook by “malicious third parties” had been resolved.

Meta Platforms Ireland said at the time it was to establish an additional scam ad reporting tool that would allow Irish users to submit reports on misleading adverts to a specialist team within Facebook for review.