Poland demands Meta explain scam ad controls after InPost CEO account suspension

Ministerial intervention

Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski announced on 17 August 2026 that the government will demand urgent explanations from Meta Platforms regarding its compliance with the European Union Digital Services Act. In statements delivered to the Polish Press Agency and posted on the social media platform X, Gawkowski stated that the dispute extends beyond an individual business disagreement. He emphasized that deceptive advertisements, deepfakes, and fraudulent investment schemes threaten the financial savings of millions of Polish citizens. Gawkowski maintained that tech platforms possess the financial resources and technology to prevent such material and have a legal obligation to stop profiting from fraudulent promotions.

“The Meta corporation commonly known as Facebook must understand one thing: it is not above the law.”

Fraudulent ad confrontation

The confrontation began on 14 August 2026, when InPost founder and chief executive Rafał Brzoska published screenshots on X showing fraudulent ads running on Facebook. The sponsored post featured an image depicting Brzoska in handcuffs and a bathrobe surrounded by purported police officers, accompanied by the headline claiming his tragic end had shocked Poland. Brzoska criticized Meta for tolerating false information and noted that his minor children had seen the fabricated images and questioned him about them. He published the names of four executives from Meta Poland and the Central and Eastern Europe region, stating they were participating in illegal activity by ignoring scams that had persisted for more than two years despite favourable Polish court rulings.

“If my minor children send me these screenshots asking "what is going on Dad?", then if the Polish management of this company thinks I will do nothing despite positive rulings of the Polish Court, I will say this: in your place, I would look for another job.”

Account suspension and censorship claims

The dispute escalated on 17 August 2026, when Brzoska announced that Meta temporarily blocked his Instagram account shortly after he criticized company leadership and publicized the scam. Although Brzoska later managed to regain access to his profile, he described the platform as a state within a state where executives cannot be challenged. Gawkowski responded by describing the suspension as severe censorship. The digital affairs minister argued that social networks operate on a model where external actors exploit stolen identities, platforms collect advertising revenue, and corporations attempt to transfer responsibility to anonymous advertisers while silencing victims who speak out.

Meta response and platform liability

Meta responded to media inquiries by asserting that fraudulent schemes damage its business model, hurt individual users, and diminish trust across its broader advertising ecosystem. The corporation stated that scammers operate as determined criminals using increasingly sophisticated tactics, and argued that naming individual employees online threatens their safety without resolving systemic advertising issues. Gawkowski reaffirmed that Poland is advancing the implementation of Digital Services Act regulations to enforce platform accountability and prevent tech companies from shifting the costs of scam ads onto regular users.

“Scams are harmful to Meta's business because they hurt individuals and undermine trust in our entire advertising ecosystem.”