Mining magnate Andrew Forrest is taking on Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook to court with a world-first criminal charge.

Previously the mining billionaire has publicly appealed to the Facebook founder and boss to stop ads that promote cryptocurrency scams but has had no success.

Dr Forrest now alleges that the platform has breached anti-money laundering laws by failing to stop criminals using fake advertisements featuring celebrities, including himself, to scam Australias.

Director of the Centre for Responsible Technology, Peter Lewis, told Scott Emerson on 4BC Drive that this might be one of the most prominent cases that the WA Magistrates Court has seen in a long time.

“This is all the ripple effects of these ad scams that he couldn’t get any action on, so they’ve really poked the bear,” he said.

“Whether or not it sets a precedent or just creates a greater awareness that there are real holes in our laws, it’s really a significant step forward.”

“This action is being taken on behalf of those everyday Australians – mums and dads, grans and grandads – who work all their lives to gather their savings and to ensure those savings aren’t swindled away by scammers,” Dr Forrest said in a statement.

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