January 1, 2026
Scamouflage, anyone?
Meta made scam ads harder to find instead of removing them
Internet erupts: Meta ‘hid’ scam ads; critics call it cloaking while Google gets side-eye
TLDR: Reuters says Meta tried to make scam ads harder for regulators to spot, instead of just deleting them, to dodge costly checks. The comments split between calling out ‘cloaking,’ slamming lazy reporting, and dragging Google for similar behavior—proof the ad game is a messy, global problem.
The internet erupted over Reuters’ bombshell: Meta didn’t just delete scam ads — it allegedly made them harder for regulators and journalists to find, according to internal documents. With Japan mulling universal advertiser checks that might cost $2B and trim revenue ~5%, Meta reportedly rolled out a global “cleanup” playbook across the U.S., Europe, India, Australia, Brazil, and Thailand. Cue chaos in the comments.
Some readers cried foul on the coverage. “This is lazy reporting,” snapped zaphar, arguing Reuters also quoted Meta saying it was removing bad ads, not hiding them. Others called the move ironic cloaking — barishnamazov noted it mirrors a trick scammers use: show one thing to reviewers, another to real people. Commandersaki asked if Australia’s Scam Prevention Framework has teeth. Meanwhile, lax0 dropped a reality check: Google’s ad auctions also let phishing sites outrank real brands.
Jokes flew: “scamouflage,” “hide-and-seek for regulators,” and the classic Spider‑Man pointing meme — Meta and Google accusing each other of the same thing. For context, Reuters previously reported Meta internally projected about 10% of 2024 revenue tied to scams and banned goods (double in China), though Meta later said that estimate was overly broad. The HN thread is pure drama.
Key Points
- •Reuters reports Meta made fraudulent ads less discoverable to regulators, investigators, and journalists, beyond removing them.
- •Meta sought to avoid a potential Japanese mandate for universal advertiser verification, estimated to cost about $2 billion and reduce revenue by nearly 5%.
- •The “search-result cleanup” tactic was added to a global playbook used in markets including the U.S., Europe, India, Australia, Brazil, and Thailand.
- •Previous Reuters reporting found Meta internally projected ~10% of 2024 revenue from scams and banned goods ads, which Meta later said was overly broad.
- •Reuters reported the share of such revenue was double in China compared to the global estimate.