Meta ads platform hosts deepfake of Serbian Patriarch Porfirije

A social media user reported on October 10, 2026, that Meta’s advertising platform hosted a paid deepfake video depicting Serbian Patriarch Porfirije promoting a fraudulent health supplement. The post alleged the AI-generated ad showed the religious leader discussing parasites and selling a product for 1499 RSD while claiming pharmaceutical companies would censor the content. This incident highlights ongoing challenges in automated ad moderation systems detecting synthetic media impersonating public figures. Meta has not publicly commented on the specific advertisement or its vetting processes for political and religious content. The report surfaced on Bluesky, raising concerns about platform liability for AI-generated commercial scams. Such deepfakes exploit institutional trust to deceive consumers, particularly within demographics less familiar with synthetic media detection. Regulatory bodies in Serbia and the EU may scrutinize whether current ad verification protocols sufficiently address generative AI threats in paid content ecosystems.