Meta has announced a series of new steps aimed at reducing spammy content on Facebook, as part of a broader push to improve the Feed experience and support creators who create and share original engaging content. These updates are designed to ensure that people see fresh, relevant posts while limiting the visibility and monetisation of content that attempts to manipulate distribution or engagement. Speaking about the update, Oluwasola Obagbemi, Head of Communications for Sub-Saharan Africa at Meta said, “We’ve heard from users that Facebook Feed doesn’t always surface fresh and engaging content that people enjoy, and spammy posts often crowd out authentic voices. Our goal is to continue creating an environment where creators who invest in meaningful content are recognised and rewarded. These changes are part of our long-term investment in making Facebook a platform where creators can grow and people can connect through high-quality content.” Key updates include: Lower visibility for spammy content: Spam networks that create hundreds of accounts to share the same content will now face reduced reach. Accounts that flood the platform with duplicate posts, irrelevant captions, or excessive hashtags will not be eligible for monetisation and will see decreased visibility in their Feed. Stronger enforcement against fake engagement and impersonation: Meta is scaling its efforts to detect and remove fake accounts and pages coordinating engagement or impersonating others. In 2024 alone, the platform removed over 100 million fake pages engaging in scripted follows abuse and more than 23 million impersonating accounts on Facebook. In addition to automated identity checks, features have been added to Moderation Assist, Facebook’s comment management tool, to detect and auto-hide comments from people potentially using a fake identity. Creators will also be able to report impersonators directly in the comments. Meta is also testing a comments feature so people can signal ones that are irrelevant or don’t fit the spirit of the conversation. More protection for creators and support for original content: Meta continues to enhance Rights Manager to help creators protect their original content. It also offers updated guidance to help creators succeed by sharing authentic and engaging content on Facebook.

These updates are designed to ensure that people see fresh, relevant posts while limiting the visibility and monetisation of content that attempts to manipulate distribution or engagement.

Speaking about the update, Oluwasola Obagbemi, Head of Communications for Sub-Saharan Africa at Meta said, “We’ve heard from users that Facebook Feed doesn’t always surface fresh and engaging content that people enjoy, and spammy posts often crowd out authentic voices. Our goal is to continue creating an environment where creators who invest in meaningful content are recognised and rewarded. These changes are part of our long-term investment in making Facebook a platform where creators can grow and people can connect through high-quality content.”

Key updates include:

Lower visibility for spammy content:
Spam networks that create hundreds of accounts to share the same content will now face reduced reach. Accounts that flood the platform with duplicate posts, irrelevant captions, or excessive hashtags will not be eligible for monetisation and will see decreased visibility in their Feed.

Stronger enforcement against fake engagement and impersonation:
Meta is scaling its efforts to detect and remove fake accounts and pages coordinating engagement or impersonating others. In 2024 alone, the platform removed over 100 million fake pages engaging in scripted follows abuse and more than 23 million impersonating accounts on Facebook. In addition to automated identity checks, features have been added to Moderation Assist, Facebook’s comment management tool, to detect and auto-hide comments from people potentially using a fake identity. Creators will also be able to report impersonators directly in the comments. Meta is also testing a comments feature so people can signal ones that are irrelevant or don’t fit the spirit of the conversation.

More protection for creators and support for original content:
Meta continues to enhance Rights Manager to help creators protect their original content. It also offers updated guidance to help creators succeed by sharing authentic and engaging content on Facebook.