Miriam O’Callaghan Accepts Facebook Apology; Social Media Giant to Launch New Anti-Scam Feature Following Legal Action

Television presenter Miriam O’Callaghan has accepted a full apology from Facebook as part of a settlement in her High Court case concerning numerous libellous and false advertisements published on the social media site.

A key element of the settlement is Meta Platforms Ireland (previously Facebook Ireland)’s commitment to create a “scam ad reporting tool.” This new feature will enable users in Ireland to report suspicious advertisements to a dedicated Facebook team for investigation.

Speaking after the resolution, the broadcaster stated it was “a positive outcome” after a five-year struggle against the misleading adverts, which she asserted had caused her significant distress and harmed her professional standing. She said she was pleased to confirm removal of these adverts.

She expressed particular satisfaction that, in addition to the removal of the fraudulent adverts, Facebook would be implementing a system for the public to report similar scam advertisements.

Ms O’Callaghan initiated legal proceedings against Facebook Ireland three years ago, claiming defamation and seeking damages. The lawsuit concerned a series of deceptive and malicious adverts featuring her image and name, which appeared on Facebook and Instagram in May 2018.

On Friday, Paul O’Higgins SC, representing Ms O’Callaghan (with solicitor Paul Tweed), informed the court that a settlement had been reached with Facebook.

As part of this agreement, Facebook’s counsel, Joe Jeffers BL, read a joint statement to the court, acknowledging the resolution of the case regarding the publication of misleading advertisements on Facebook by “unscrupulous third parties.”

The statement confirmed: “These adverts contained untrue claims, which have been highly detrimental to Ms O’Callaghan. Meta Platforms Ireland acknowledges and regrets that the publication of these ads has caused Ms O’Callaghan distress and embarrassment, and extends its regret for any broader anxiety and distress arising from the ads.”

“Meta Platforms Ireland offers an unreserved apology to Ms O’Callaghan.”

The statement also noted that the broadcaster is content that the publication of the fraudulent adverts, misusing her name and likeness, appears to have stopped.

Furthermore, the statement revealed that, as a direct consequence of the legal action, “Meta Platforms Ireland has pledged to the broadcaster that it will employ stringent methods to combat such advertisements in the future and will provide a facility within Ireland for reporting scam ads through a new, dedicated scam ad reporting tool.”

Previously, the court had been informed that the adverts in question contained various misleading and defamatory headlines, inaccurately implying that Ms O’Callaghan had resigned from her role on RTÉ’s Prime Time programme.

Ms O’Callaghan emphasised that she had “no connection whatsoever” with the adverts, which were linked to promotions for skincare products. She was deeply troubled by the unwanted association with what was described as a “fraudulent product,” the court was told.

She maintained that the adverts capitalised on the trust the Irish public placed in her, thereby undermining her integrity and reputation.

The “targeted advertisements,” purchased by unknown parties, were displayed on social media users’ news feeds and were designed to entice clicks.

Those who clicked on the adverts were directed to pages offering various skincare products, which were fraudulently presented as being owned or endorsed by Ms O’Callaghan.

These pages also falsely claimed that she had left her position at RTÉ to concentrate on promoting the skincare line, it was alleged.

It was further alleged that users who signed up for “free trials” of the skincare products reported unauthorised deductions from their bank accounts.

It was not possible to use the available information to identify the individuals responsible for the fraudulent advertisements.

Speaking outside the court, Ms O’Callaghan’s solicitor, Paul Tweed, said his client was pleased with the successful outcome of the proceedings.

He stated that the settlement had met his client’s goals: ending the dissemination of the false adverts, restoring Ms O’Callaghan’s reputation, and establishing a mechanism to better protect Facebook users in Ireland.

The introduction of a supplementary reporting tool, specifically for Irish Facebook users to submit comprehensive reports on fake or scam ads, was also a positive step. The tool will, he said, provide more visability.

This tool, he explained, would simplify the process of reporting such deceptive content, and complaints would be handled by a specialist team within the social media company.