Meta Cracks Down on Unoriginal Facebook Content and Fake Accounts

Meta has launched a sweeping crackdown on Facebook accounts that share unoriginal content or impersonate other creators. In a statement issued Monday, Meta confirmed the removal of 10 million fake accounts this year alone, many of which were copying popular content without attribution.

Additionally, 500,000 accounts were penalized for spam behavior or manipulating engagement metrics. These accounts will now face reduced visibility and will be excluded from monetisation programs on Facebook. Repeat violators risk losing distribution privileges entirely.

The move aligns with growing industry concerns over “AI slop” — mass-produced, low-effort content that floods digital platforms. YouTube recently updated its policies on reused and AI-generated media, and Meta appears to be following suit.

Meta emphasized that reaction videos, commentary, and trend participation are not being targeted. Instead, the policy is aimed at those reposting others’ work without meaningful transformation.

To improve transparency, Meta is testing post-level insights and features like linking duplicate posts to original sources. It also reported that 3% of Facebook’s global users are fake accounts, with 1 billion fake profiles removed between January and March 2025.

Meanwhile, Meta faces user backlash over its automated content moderation, especially on Instagram. A petition demanding human review has gathered nearly 30,000 signatures.

As part of its solution, Meta is piloting a Community Notes-style system in the U.S. — similar to X (formerly Twitter) — allowing users to collectively assess the authenticity of posts. Meta says these changes will roll out gradually, giving creators time to adapt.