Facebook tried to ban cryptocurrency related ads on its platform less than two weeks ago. However, crypto ads are still being displayed to Facebook users. Simply changing the spelling, a common tactic adopted by malware operators, allows crypto ads to make their way past the ban.
It is surprising that a company with the stature and expertise of Facebook Inc. is outsmarted by such a simple technique. For years, malware developers have been using spelling errors to redirect users to their malware hosting pages. This is a popular technique used to trick users, and Facebook is the latest victim. It’s not malware that has targeted Facebook this time, but crypto ads. For example, by changing "BITCOIN" to "BlTC0lN" (replacing capital ‘i’ with small ‘L’ and ‘o’ with zero), as revealed by Matthieu Suiche on Twitter, these ads are able to evade Facebook’s ban.
Facebook sought to cleanse itself from all ads that relate to cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings (ICOs), and binary options. It stated that it wants to prevent users from using its platform to spread information about potentially dangerous schemes. While it maintains its desire to be a platform that enables users to learn about various innovative services, it stated that it wants to protect them from falling prey to offers that could result in financial losses. Since cryptocurrency ads often come in the form of ‘Use your retirement funds to become a millionaire,’ they can appeal to a lot of people. However, Facebook has looked to ban any such ad and will continue to do so in the spirit of protecting its users.
However, this gesture was not backed with the adequate technical sophistication you would expect from an organization like Facebook Inc. Using a simple misspelling trickery, crypto ads were able to make their way onto Facebook's network despite this ban. While Facebook attempts to improve its ad management and general operations with AI techniques, it has fallen short of taking care of a simple error that humans can identify pretty easily. The company employs thousands of people around the world and hires a lot of researchers and techies every year, but failed to mitigate a simple problem like this one.
Facebook has also sought to ensure that racist and discriminatory ads are not shown on the platform to make it cleaner and safer for users. While that again is a good thing, it cannot happen if such simple techniques continue to foil Facebook’s attempts to rid itself of inappropriate and dangerous ads.
It is surprising that a company with the stature and expertise of Facebook Inc. is outsmarted by such a simple technique. For years, malware developers have been using spelling errors to redirect users to their malware hosting pages. This is a popular technique used to trick users, and Facebook is the latest victim. It’s not malware that has targeted Facebook this time, but crypto ads. For example, by changing "BITCOIN" to "BlTC0lN" (replacing capital ‘i’ with small ‘L’ and ‘o’ with zero), as revealed by Matthieu Suiche on Twitter, these ads are able to evade Facebook’s ban.
Facebook sought to cleanse itself from all ads that relate to cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings (ICOs), and binary options. It stated that it wants to prevent users from using its platform to spread information about potentially dangerous schemes. While it maintains its desire to be a platform that enables users to learn about various innovative services, it stated that it wants to protect them from falling prey to offers that could result in financial losses. Since cryptocurrency ads often come in the form of ‘Use your retirement funds to become a millionaire,’ they can appeal to a lot of people. However, Facebook has looked to ban any such ad and will continue to do so in the spirit of protecting its users.
However, this gesture was not backed with the adequate technical sophistication you would expect from an organization like Facebook Inc. Using a simple misspelling trickery, crypto ads were able to make their way onto Facebook's network despite this ban. While Facebook attempts to improve its ad management and general operations with AI techniques, it has fallen short of taking care of a simple error that humans can identify pretty easily. The company employs thousands of people around the world and hires a lot of researchers and techies every year, but failed to mitigate a simple problem like this one.
Facebook has also sought to ensure that racist and discriminatory ads are not shown on the platform to make it cleaner and safer for users. While that again is a good thing, it cannot happen if such simple techniques continue to foil Facebook’s attempts to rid itself of inappropriate and dangerous ads.