Bard spotting on Bluesky 20 November 2024

Mallory Moore (@mall.bsky.social):

OSINT researchers, I've got a screenshot of a facebook advert witnessed by a member of the public. I've looked at the advertiser in the Facebook Ads Library and I can't find the advert, even though I can find this advertiser.

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

I assume you've considered the standard "screenshots can be faked", "similar advertiser name", "impersonating another advertiser", and the highly unlikely "Meta / advertiser pulled the advert on report"

Mallory Moore (@mall.bsky.social):

Yeah it's one of those things where it's exceedingly unlikely that they'd have faked this, but impersonation of another advertiser is a line I'm trying to run down.

This advertiser does have a previous pulled advert - failure to disclose funding on a social issue.

Mallory Moore (@mall.bsky.social):

If it's pulled under consideration/investigation would it temporarily disappear? Previously pulled ads are visible in the ad library with explanation of the reason they were pulled.

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

I don't know. I can ask a colleague that.

There's always the possibility that someone didn't follow procedures & did a one-off intervention but that's hardly testable or falsifiable without extraordinary effort

Mallory Moore (@mall.bsky.social):

Yeah no worries. Mostly just trying to rule out possibilities I haven't imagined somehow if anyone's seen this before.