Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has taken a bold step to sanitize its platforms by removing over 10 million fake profiles and approximately 500,000 spam accounts within the first six months of 2025. The move is part of an aggressive campaign to eliminate impersonation, fake engagement, and content duplication, an effort aimed at amplifying authentic voices and boosting visibility for original content creators.
Meta revealed that these actions form a crucial part of its broader strategy to curb what it describes as “spammy behavior.” The company stressed that reposting or recycling content without meaningful edits or permission will now trigger stricter penalties. These include reduced reach, lower visibility, and loss of access to monetization tools.
“We’re making progress,” the company stated. “In the first half of 2025, we took action on around 500,000 accounts engaged in spammy behavior or fake engagement. We also removed about 10 million profiles impersonating large content producers.”
Meta emphasized that repeated sharing of unoriginal videos, images, or text not only violates its policies but also threatens the platform’s integrity by crowding out genuine voices and making it difficult for new creators to grow. In response, the tech giant is rolling out advanced tools that automatically detect and trace reposted content back to its original source, helping credit authentic creators and elevate quality content.
According to the company, creators who consistently publish original content enjoy broader distribution and greater engagement. Meta clarified that simply stitching video clips together or slapping on a watermark won’t qualify as “meaningful editing” under its new guidelines. Only content that delivers value and tells an authentic story will thrive under the updated algorithm.
Meta also warned against uploading videos with visible watermarks from other platforms such as TikTok, stating that such content may be penalized through reduced distribution or demonetization.
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To further empower genuine creators, Meta has introduced new post-level insights on the Professional Dashboard. This feature allows content creators to track the performance of individual posts and monitor any restrictions related to their content or monetization directly from their Support Home screen.
Meanwhile, in a similar effort to clean up digital platforms, Google’s YouTube has revised its monetization policies. The platform now disqualifies content considered mass-produced or excessively repetitive from earning ad revenue. The update initially sparked concern among content creators, particularly regarding AI-generated videos. However, YouTube clarified that it still supports the use of AI tools as long as they are used to enhance storytelling.
“We welcome creators using AI tools to enhance their storytelling, and channels that use AI in their content remain eligible to monetise,” YouTube confirmed in a statement.
With both Meta and YouTube tightening content policies, the message is clear: originality, creativity, and authenticity are now the currencies of success in the digital content economy. As the battle against fake profiles and recycled content intensifies, content creators are being urged to evolve or risk being left behind in an increasingly competitive, and algorithm-driven, online world.
