Facebook has filed a lawsuit against two app developers who were found guilty of click injection fraud that generated illegitimate revenue for them — in a first of its kind move.
The developers had uploaded malware-ridden apps on Google Play Store, which when downloaded allowed the devs to create fake user clicks on Facebook ads, that appeared as if the users of infected devices were clicking on those ads.
On Tuesday, facebook filed lawsuits against two Asian app developers, LionMobi, which is based in Hong Kong, and JediMobi, based in Singapore. In the lawsuit, Facebook claimed that the fraudulent clicks were generated on ads that were part of Facebook’s Audience Network and both app developers were found abusing the rules and have been banned from the Audience Network; their accounts have been disabled.
In addition to the click fraud, LionMobi also ran advertisements for its infected apps on the play store. According to Facebook, all the advertisers impacted by this incident were refunded in March 2019.
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“Facebook filed suit against two app developers for click injection fraud. The two developers are LionMobi, based in Hong Kong, and JediMobi, based in Singapore. LionMobi and JediMobi generated unearned payouts from Facebook for misrepresenting that a real person had clicked on the ads,” stated Jessica Romero, Director of Platform Enforcement and Litigation.
Last month Facebook moved its instant games from the Mesanger to the main apps game tab. This update intends to centralise the gaming experience on the social media platform.
A design flaw was also found in Facebook Messenger for kids that could allow a stranger to chat with the kid even if the parents haven’t permitted the user.
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