In light of increased scrutiny over fake accounts and false likes, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has begun weeding out suspicious accounts. Facebook’s efforts are an outgrowth of last month’s promise, where the social network noted that it would commence its crackdown on fake accounts.
The crackdown focuses on false likes generated by malware, deceived accounts, and bulk purchases among other dubious methods.
In a blog post, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) noted that less than 1 percent of Likes on any given page would be removed. “Less than 1% of Likes on a page would be removed, provided they and their affiliates have been abiding by our terms,” it noted.
If a page however, purchases bulk likes, the effects of the crackdown are expected to be more profound. Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) particularly aims at uprooting this fast growing fashion of black-hat marketing. Of late, unscrupulous companies and individuals have resorted to purchasing Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) likes. This is incredibly easy, and can be done in minutes on the internet through certain websites. Some undisclosed websites have been noted to offer such services where 10,000 likes go for as low as $160.
Interestingly, the 1 percent appears to be materially substantial in some cases. Pages like Texas Holdem Poker, which has one of the most likes on Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), lost up to 96,000 likes the other day. Rihanna, a renowned international singer, shed 28000 likes. The reduced likes on her page, alongside other pages, signaled the alarming number of false likes on Facebook.
Although the reduced likes have an immediate negative effect on the pages, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has noted the fake like crackdown is geared towards reaping long-term benefits. The social network observes that the practice will allow users to connect to profiles and pages that they voluntarily want to subscribe to. Similarly, Facebook remarks that page administrators will have a more defined measure of fan count. “This improvement will allow Pages to produce ever more relevant and interesting content, and brands will see an increase in true engagement around their content,” says an August blog post authored by Facebook.
Integrity overhaul
Earlier in August, we featured a story covering the unearthed 83 million fake Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) accounts. The story, which generated heated debate, highlighted the company’s unending integrity woes. Limited Run, a company that previously had an account on Facebook, was observed to have walked out on the social network, after it could only verify 20 percent of its clicked ads.
This crackdown will hopefully overweigh such negatives.
