Warsaw: Poland's Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski has accused Meta of censorship after the Instagram account of Polish billionaire and InPost founder Rafal Brzoska was temporarily blocked amid his criticism of fraudulent AI-generated advertisements using his image. 'This is censorship in its darkest form,' Gawkowski said, accusing Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, of profiting from advertisements that use stolen identities while shifting responsibility onto anonymous advertisers.

According to Anadolu Agency, Brzoska's Instagram account was blocked shortly after he publicly criticized Meta over a new fraudulent Facebook advertisement featuring an AI-generated image of him in handcuffs surrounded by police. His account was later restored. Gawkowski emphasized that the dispute extended beyond the interests of one businessman, highlighting the potential risk to millions of Poles who could lose their savings through fraudulent advertisements, deepfakes, and fake investments. He added that Meta possessed the technology and resources to prevent such harmful content from appearing.

Brzoska's wife, Omenaa Mensah, has also previously pursued legal action against Meta over fake advertisements that used her name and images to promote nonexistent investment schemes. In 2024, Poland's data protection authority ordered Meta to temporarily halt advertisements using Brzoska's personal data following his complaint that deepfake material was being distributed without adequate verification.

Earlier this year, a Polish court ruled in Brzoska's favor in his ongoing dispute with Meta regarding responsibility for fraudulent advertisements. Gawkowski declared that Poland would seek to hold large online platforms accountable for the safety of their users and revealed that his ministry was preparing new legislation aimed at implementing EU rules governing digital platforms. Meta did not immediately publicly respond to Gawkowski's accusations.