Meta is trying to clean up Facebook spam

Meta is ramping up efforts to rid Facebook of spammy content, the company announced on Thursday. It’s cracking down on accounts that try to “game” the Facebook algorithm with lengthy posts and numerous hashtags.

The platform is also taking action against accounts that create posts with captions completely unrelated to an image. Now, if Meta catches an account with these types of posts, the company will limit their content to followers only, and they’ll no longer get paid for their posts. 

In an example shared by Meta, the company shows a spammy post containing a picture of a dog alongside a completely unrelated caption with the “Top 10 #AIRPLANE Facts.” Another example includes a lengthy post that describes how great cars are, with several hashtags like “#VIRALCONTENT,” “#LIKEFORLIKE,” and “#BOOST,” listed at the bottom.

“Spammy content can get in the way of one’s ability to ultimately have their voices heard, regardless of one’s viewpoint, which is why we’re targeting the behavior that’s gaming distribution and monetization,” Meta says. The update comes just weeks after Facebook launched a Friends-only feed, which cuts out algorithmic recommendations.

Meta may also limit the reach of users who create “hundreds of accounts to share the same spammy content,” and will make them ineligible for monetization. Most of these accounts create spammy posts in an attempt to get more followers, increase views, “gain unfair monetization advantages,” according to Meta.

Additionally, Meta will decrease the visibility of comments identified as coordinated fake engagement. It’s also testing a feature that will let users tell Facebook if a comment isn’t useful, and added a moderation tool that lets page owners detect and automatically hide comments from users that appear to be impersonating someone else.