"If Facebook is found guilty, it will face a maximum penalty of A$126,000 ($90,000) on each of three charges"
Would they even find it worth employing a lawyer to defend it?
Would they even find it worth employing a lawyer to defend it?
I don't know much about the AU legal system; if this were the US they would likely try to get the prosecutors to drop the case / settle out of court in exchange for a vague promise to do better.
Edit: in this case, the charges seem to be a bit more involved, such as money laundering. I suppose publishing misleading ads has been happening for a long time, and I don't know exactly what laws apply. Plenty of people may have been scammed buying dodgy used cars in classified ads, for example.
Apple support line must be a support line for Apple. Using someone's likeness means they have approved to have their likeness used.
Even if these things are already illegal, and even if the publishers are nominally responsible for not allowing illegal advertisements, at least there will be a precedent of these kinds of scams actually getting prosecuted.
There needs to be an actual injunction against further fraud, meaning every instance is a liability, rather than what is most likely going to be a slap on the wrist.
One can dream, I guess.
There's a reason why personal injury and mesothelioma ads get placed on the radio and TV so often in the US; "you may be entitled to financial compensation" and all that.