A US politician ratcheted up pressure on Meta Platforms, calling for the Department of Justice to probe potential fraud relating to advertising metrics.

Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to officials on 9 December accusing Meta Platforms of misleading customers and investors by knowingly overstating the potential reach of adverts on its platforms.

Warren called on US attorney general Merrick Garland and Securities and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler to investigate, citing allegations by whistle-blower Frances Haugen and details in a lawsuit brought by a group of advertisers in California as evidence Meta Platforms’ chiefs knew its advertising reach was falsely inflated.

The politician’s call adds to mounting scrutiny of Meta Platforms from domestic and international authorities and was made the same day as Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to probe potential breaches of commerce regulations, also with regard to its adverts.

Cantwell’s concerns centre on the proximity of adverts to hate speech and whether Meta Platforms failed to inform customers about examples it could not find.

She asserted the company itself estimates more than 90 per cent of hate speech goes undetected.