Meta projected 10% of 2024 revenue came from scams • Hacker News Board

Re: Meta projected 10% of 2024 revenue came from scams

#51

Post by wahnfrieden » Fri, Nov 07, 2025, 2:19 PM UTC

notahacker wrote: post #14

Certainly puts the £3m lawsuit settlement with Martin Lewis (UK consumer financial advice guru who sued because he's the go-to fake endorsement of any scam product targeting Britons using Facebook ads) into perspective. No wonder scammers are still spamming his likeness all over Facebook paid ads even though it's technically trivial for them to algorithmically flag it

The news here per https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/11/bombshell-report... is that Meta set an internal policy that scammers above 0.15% of Meta’s revenue must be protected from any flagging. It’s not a technical challenge. It’s something they desire to maintain and have codified.

Re: Meta projected 10% of 2024 revenue came from scams

#52

Post by Havoc » Fri, Nov 07, 2025, 2:19 PM UTC

Meta is cooked. It's not just scam portion - their entire strategy is in trouble

FB - nobody I know actively uses it anymore.

Insta - is being overrun with AI slop and given meta's stated goal of adding more AI interactions on their platforms I doubt they'll even try to get a grip on it let alone succeed

Whatsapp & FB messenger - some use but has zero moat over other messengers. It's a completely fungible service in a space that has fractured across many providers.

VR/meta/AI/etc - they keep trying. Maybe one day

...that leaves their adtech which only works due to their invasive tracking...that is directly dependent on their other properties succeeding: Their targeting edge comes directly from front row seats tracking users behaviour on their platforms. No users, no insights.

Re: Meta projected 10% of 2024 revenue came from scams

#53

Post by deaux » Fri, Nov 07, 2025, 2:20 PM UTC

cj wrote: post #42

fouronnes3 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see how the yearly tech support I do with my parents at Christmas will not one day converge to an outright ban of the internet. I am now demoing the level of sofistication of AI powered scams, telling them that it is now entirely possible they will get a VIDEO CALL from me that's not actually me asking for God knows what in a very convincing way using my face and voice. I am scared and this close to setting u…

My guess is the already-existing trend towards walled gardens will simply continue. When a public space is dangerous, people retreat into "safe" enclosed spaces. - "Never download anything unless it's from the Apple App Store" - "Never buy anything unless you're on amazon.com" - "Dont use the internet outside of ChatGPT"

A little ironic when Amazon is filled to the brim with scams.

Re: Meta projected 10% of 2024 revenue came from scams

#54

Post by stronglikedan » Fri, Nov 07, 2025, 2:21 PM UTC

balderdash wrote: post #5

I wonder what their definition of scammy is? I bet it’s pretty narrow.

Probably limited to strictly criminal scams so as to avoid liability.

Re: Meta projected 10% of 2024 revenue came from scams

#55

Post by clickety_clack » Fri, Nov 07, 2025, 2:21 PM UTC

Havoc wrote: post #52

Meta is cooked. It's not just scam portion - their entire strategy is in trouble FB - nobody I know actively uses it anymore. Insta - is being overrun with AI slop and given meta's stated goal of adding more AI interactions on their platforms I doubt they'll even try to get a grip on it let alone succeed Whatsapp & FB messenger - some use but has zero moat over other messengers. It's a completely fungible service in…

Disagree on WhatsApp, it’s the de facto standard messaging app outside the US.

Re: Meta projected 10% of 2024 revenue came from scams

#56

Post by newsclues » Fri, Nov 07, 2025, 2:21 PM UTC

Havoc wrote: post #52

Meta is cooked. It's not just scam portion - their entire strategy is in trouble FB - nobody I know actively uses it anymore. Insta - is being overrun with AI slop and given meta's stated goal of adding more AI interactions on their platforms I doubt they'll even try to get a grip on it let alone succeed Whatsapp & FB messenger - some use but has zero moat over other messengers. It's a completely fungible service in…

Facebook appeared cooked after the parents of the original user base started using it (boomers). But it seems like that’s profitable because they are so dumb

Re: Meta projected 10% of 2024 revenue came from scams

#57

Post by samlinnfer » Fri, Nov 07, 2025, 2:22 PM UTC

A new car built by my company leaves somewhere travelling at 60 mph. The rear differential locks up. The car crashes and burns with everyone trapped inside. Now, should we initiate a recall? Take the number of vehicles in the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of failure, B, multiply by the average out-of-court settlement, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one.

Re: Meta projected 10% of 2024 revenue came from scams

#58

Post by gosub100 » Fri, Nov 07, 2025, 2:23 PM UTC

malfist wrote: post #29

macNchz wrote: post #16

Alongside a password manager and keeping things up to date, using an ad blocker is truly a foundational security practice these days. The big advertising players simply have all of the wrong incentives to control this problem. They could massively reduce the volume of scams advertised on their networks, but it’d be worse for them on two fronts: they’d have to pay for more moderation, and they’d lose billions in reven…

This isn't a situation we accept out of other industries. You water provider doesn't get to pipe you sewage every now and again because its too expensive to moderate. We shouldn't accept it for big tech either. And we certainly shouldn't make it the responsibility of the end use to protect themselves

I had a similar thought regarding OS'. Especially in they heydey of malware in the early 2000s when 3rd party apps were the only way to remove it. You don't buy a truck and accept that its wheel falls off every time you hit a bump. Therefore Microsoft should have been civilally liable for all the costs of software removal and loss of enjoyment of computers that ran Windows (along with OEMs that sold them).

Re: Meta projected 10% of 2024 revenue came from scams

#59

Post by nxpnsv » Fri, Nov 07, 2025, 2:24 PM UTC

deaux wrote: post #53

cj wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My guess is the already-existing trend towards walled gardens will simply continue. When a public space is dangerous, people retreat into "safe" enclosed spaces. - "Never download anything unless it's from the Apple App Store" - "Never buy anything unless you're on amazon.com" - "Dont use the internet outside of ChatGPT"

A little ironic when Amazon is filled to the brim with scams.

Yeah, I'm def having more success using the Never buy anything from Amazon rule...

Re: Meta projected 10% of 2024 revenue came from scams

#60

Post by 1over137 » Fri, Nov 07, 2025, 2:25 PM UTC

cj wrote: post #42

fouronnes3 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see how the yearly tech support I do with my parents at Christmas will not one day converge to an outright ban of the internet. I am now demoing the level of sofistication of AI powered scams, telling them that it is now entirely possible they will get a VIDEO CALL from me that's not actually me asking for God knows what in a very convincing way using my face and voice. I am scared and this close to setting u…

My guess is the already-existing trend towards walled gardens will simply continue. When a public space is dangerous, people retreat into "safe" enclosed spaces. - "Never download anything unless it's from the Apple App Store" - "Never buy anything unless you're on amazon.com" - "Dont use the internet outside of ChatGPT"

That’s a truly horrendous thought.