Meta has unveiled a significant update to its Brand Rights Protection tool for businesses using its Facebook and Instagram platforms. 

The latest update enables businesses to more easily report scam ads, providing them with better control over how their brand is being utilised.

The tool, previously known as Facebook’s Commerce & Ads IP tool when it was launched in 2021, initially allowed businesses to only report content that they believed infringed their intellectual property (IP) rights.

Now, businesses can report scam ads even when it does not concern their IP. 

It therefore facilitates businesses reporting suspected scam ads that misuse or exploit a brand’s name without authorisation at scale.

Simplified takedown request experience

In a bid to simplify the overall process of reporting these ads, Meta has automated detection and content review systems to remove fake accounts and fraudulent scam posts.

To access this option, businesses can use the ‘Other’ violation type on the ads tab.

The Drafts tab – previously called Requests – now has sub-tabs per violation type: Copyright, Counterfeit, Impersonation and Trademark. 

Businesses are also able to search and filter within the ‘Reports’ tab using email report IDs, keywords, trademark names and report owner names.

Meta expects the streamlining of the reporting experience to make the entire process more intuitive, user-friendly and convenient for brands to manage and act on takedown requests.

The tech giant claims that, in 2024 alone, it oversaw the removal of more than 157 million pieces of ad content internationally across Facebook and Instagram for violating its policies against Fraud, Scam and Deceptive Practices or Unacceptable Business Practices.  

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