Meta cracks down on spammy content on Facebook

Meta, the parent company of Facebook has revealed that in 2024, it took down over 100 million fake pages engaging on Facebook.

In a statement made available on Thursday, the company said that it also axed over 23 million profiles that were impersonating large content producers.

It emphasised that its crackdown on fake pages and impersonators on its platform was part of its efforts to improve user experience.

Meta announced a significant initiative to reduce spammy content on its platforms aimed at creating a more authentic and engaging environment for creators and users alike.

“We are committed to making Facebook’s Feed more relevant and helping creators breakthrough.

“Too many spammy content are crowding out authentic creators and hurting the Facebook experience,” the organisation said.

According to Meta, accounts that game distribution and engagement or flood feed with spammy content will see less views and monetisation.

It added that it was also investing more efforts to combat impersonation.

“Some accounts try to manipulate the Facebook algorithm to increase views, reach a higher follower count faster or gain unfair monetisation advantages.

“While the intentions might not always be malicious, the result is spammy content in feed that crowds out authentic creator content.

“To address this issue, Meta is taking several steps. Firstly, accounts that post content with long, distracting captions or unrelated captions will only have their content shown to their followers and will not be eligible for monetisation.

“Additionally, spam networks that create hundreds of accounts to share the same spammy content will not be eligible for monetisation and may see lower audience reach.

“Meta is also investing more in removing accounts that coordinate fake engagement and impersonate others,” it said.

It stressed that it was also exploring ways to elevate more meaningful and engaging discussions.

“For instance, the company is testing a comments feature that allows people to signal irrelevant or out-of-spirit comments.

“Furthermore, Meta is committed to protecting and elevating creators sharing original content,” it said.

The company said that it would continue to enhance rights manager to help creators protect their original content and provide guidance to help creators succeed on Facebook.

Meta emphasised that its platforms were built for people to express themselves freely, adding that spammy content could hinder that.

It said that by targeting behaviours that gamed distribution and monetisation, Meta aimed at rewarding creators who create and share engaging content on Facebook.

It assured the creator community that it was committed to ensuring their success on the platform, noting that the crackdown on spammy content was just one of many investments to achieve the goal.