US senators Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal have asked the heads of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate revenue from ads on Facebook and Instagram that promote scams and banned goods.

“The FTC and SEC should immediately open investigations and, if the reporting is accurate, pursue vigorous enforcement action where appropriate” to force Meta to disgorge profits, pay penalties and agree to cease running such advertisements, Hawley and Blumenthal wrote in a letter to the federal agencies.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that internal documents from late 2024 stated that that year – about $16bn – from illicit advertising. One document noted Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, earns $3.5bn in revenue from “hig

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