By
Bhushan Akolkar
April 25th, 2024
Forrest vowed to continue his fight and advocate for legal reform to hold foreign-owned social media platforms accountable.
On Friday, April 12, government prosecutors in Australia discontinued a legal case involving Andrew Forrest and Meta Platforms over scam crypto advertisements on the company’s social media platform Facebook.
Unhappy Ending for Forrest
Andrew Forrest, the Australian billionaire, also known as “Twiggy”, sued Meta in February 2022 for allowing scam crypto ads featuring his name and image on Facebook. In the lawsuit, the former Fortescue Metals CEO also claimed the firm violated the Australian anti-money laundering rules.
However, after two years of a legal battle between the duo, Chief Judge Julie Wager of the Western Australia District Court accepted the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP)’s decision to discontinue the case and drop the three criminal charges Forrest had brought against Meta.
A CDPP spokesperson cited insufficient evidence for discontinuing the case but did not provide further details regarding the decision for dismissal.
However, Forrest, unhappy with the court’s decision, criticized Meta, stating that the situation demonstrates “Facebook is beyond the laws of Australia” and that scams will persist without recourse for victims.
“Scams will continue to run rampant with no recourse for those duped by increasingly sophisticated technology on social media platforms that take no responsibility. In this case, the Australian legal system could not hold Meta to account for flagrant conduct that causes significant harm to Australian citizens,” he said.
Forrest Vows to Continue Campaign for Reform
Forrest, who is also the second richest man in Australia, vowed to continue his fight and advocate for legal reform to hold foreign-owned social media platforms accountable.
He said the company hid under the pretense that it does not operate in Australia to escape the lawsuit, “hiding behind being a US entity”. In response to Forrest’s criticism, the social media giant and owner of Facebook and Instagram expressed sympathy for scam victims. The company’s spokesperson also asserted they do not tolerate scams on their platforms.
Despite the case’s dismissal in Australia, Meta still has to answer for it in a civil suit in California for allowing the use of Forrest’s image for clickbait on its platform. Forrest filed the case, which is scheduled to be held today, April 12, in the US in 2021.
“I’m asking the courts of California, I will ask the courts of Australia, to fix this illegal or improper content rapidly,” he said in the lawsuit. The billionaire, with an estimated net worth of $18.7 billion, primarily derived his wealth from Fortescue Metals Group, which he founded in 2003.