The Friday Five: Meta to combat celebrity deepfakes, X facing major financial challenges, and Norway's plan to protect young people online

Hello and welcome back to this week's Friday Five!

For October's last edition (seriously, how fast did that month go?!) we have a packed edition for you filled with the most interesting digital marketing stories from across the world.

Today we look at the investigation, led by Ofcom, which found a 'clear connection' between social media posts and the violent unrest in August this year. We also dive into X's financial troubles, Google's AI mistakes, Norway's new social media age limit and Meta's plan to stop celebrity deepfake scams.

So much to get through! Let's get going.

1. Social media played a 'key role' in amplifying the 2024 violent unrest, Ofcom concludes

Following the violent unrest in August 2024, the UK government asked the media regulator Ofcom to investigate misinformation and illegal content spread during this time.

Ofcom concluded there was a ‘clear connection’ between social media posts and the violent disorder that followed the heartbreaking Southport stabbings.

Ofcom boss Dame Melanie Dawes said the content spread "widely and quickly." The investigation showed that the spread was driven by viral posts from high-profile accounts, which demonstrates how algorithms can amplify harmful narratives during crises.

Many social platforms responded quickly to the harmful content, but there was no consistent response across platforms.?

Experts have called for greater accountability for social media platforms for allowing harmful content to spread and go unchecked. Media analyst Hanna Kahlert and BCS's Rashik Parmar emphasised that the findings highlighted the platforms' responsibility for the impact of content shared during the unrest.

Despite Ofcom receiving criticism for limited action at the time, the regulator expressed that the new online safety act, coming into action in 2025, was not yet in effect.

As we reported on last week, the act will enforce codes of practice for tech firms and outline standards for monitoring illegal content, improving content moderation and providing better user reporting systems.?

Read more on this story at BBC News .

2. Meta to combat celebrity deepfake scams with new facial recognition technology

In December, Meta will begin to trial facial recognition technology to combat celebrity investment scams using deepfake images on Facebook and Instagram.?

In short, the process will involve a curated group of 50,000 celebrities and public figures worldwide, operating on an opt-out basis. The Meta technology aims to detect and remove misleading ads by comparing images in suspected scam ads with official profile pictures of celebrities.

Participants need an official Facebook or Instagram profile to join the trial, which marks Meta's return to facial recognition after discontinuing it in 2021 due to privacy concerns.

Meta's global threat disruption director, David Agranovich, assured that facial data would be deleted immediately after use and not stored for other purposes.

The Meta system is faster and more accurate than manual reviews, allowing for quicker enforcement of policies. Despite its success so far, Agranovich acknowledged that scammers might shift to new tactics.

To discover more, please visit Marketing Beat .?

3. Study finds 43% of Google’s AI-generated summaries are inaccurate

A study conducted by ‘The College Investor’ found that Google's AI-generated summaries for finance-related queries were inaccurate or misleading in 43% of cases.?

After evaluating 100 personal finance searches, researchers concluded that while 57% of AI overviews were accurate, 43% contained errors, with 12% being completely incorrect and 31% missing crucial details.?

It appears that AI struggled with nuanced topics like taxes, investing, and student loans, and often provided outdated information.?

Key areas of concern included incorrect tax advice, misleading details on IRA limits, and outdated student loan repayment information. The findings suggest that while Google's AI can answer simple finance questions, it is unreliable for complex financial advice.

The study recommended disabling AI-generated summaries for finance queries, particularly those involving taxes and investments, due to the potential risks. Despite this, Google maintains that most AI overviews provide quality information, the issues highlighted by the study, however, tend to disagree.

Discover more at Search Engine Journal .

4. X faces significant financial troubles this year

X is facing significant financial challenges this year, challenges that could lead to huge losses or even bankruptcy. The company is projected to generate $2.9 billion in revenue, a significant decrease from the $4.4 billion generated in 2022, before Elon Musk's acquisition.?

The main reason for this drop is mainly due to declining ad revenue, with subscriptions to X Premium contributing only 6% of total income. This is far smaller than the 50% goal originally set. Debt servicing costs, tied to Musk's $44 billion takeover, cause further strain on X finances, costing the tech giant $1.2 billion annually.

To compensate, X is exploring new revenue streams, such as selling premium handles and offering ad credits. Elon Musk, owner of X, sharing controversial political stances, including support for Donald Trump, has appeared to deter advertisers from using the platform.

Speculation suggests Musk might leverage his other ventures, like xAI or Tesla, to fund X, but this would require stakeholder approval.

The future of X may hinge on the U.S. presidential election with a Trump victory opening doors for investment.?

Read more at Social Media Today, LLC .

5. Norway takes action and increases minimum age of social media usage to 15

Norway plans to protect children from the negative effects of social media algorithms by raising the minimum age for social media use to 15, up from the current 13.?

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr St?re emphasised the need for political intervention to shield young people from social media’s impact, as platforms are often misused and can make users "single-minded and pacified."

The country currently has a minimum age of 13 for social media access, but research shows that over half of nine-year-olds and 72% of 11-year-olds still use social media despite this. To strengthen safeguards, the government will amend the Personal Data Act to ensure users are at least 15 and enforce stricter age verification regulations.

The initiative also aims to empower parents, providing them with more support to restrict social media use for their children. Minister for Children and Families, Kjersti Toppe noted that many parents want to say no but struggle to enforce it.

The move aligns with Australia’s plans to ban social media for younger teenagers, and France’s trial ban on mobile phones in schools for students up to age 15.?

Discover more on The Guardian .

... and that's a wrap!

We hope you enjoyed this week's Friday Five and be sure to subscribe so you stay up to date with the latest digital marketing news!

We hope you have a great Friday and an even better weekend. We will be here next week (in November!) with another jam-packed Friday Five.

See you then!