Facebook to remove fraudulent Likes on pages

While Facebook is all about connecting with one’s family, friends and colleagues, it has also evolved as a platform for a consumer to connect with the brand or page of his or her choice. On the face of things, the number of ‘Likes’ that a page or a brand garners on Facebook, goes on to say a lot to its existing or prospective consumers, and as the company rightly notes here, “A Like that doesn’t come from someone truly interested in connecting with a Page benefits no one”.

In an official post now, Facebook affirms that it will be coming down strongly on fraudulent Likes on Pages. The social networking giant opines that when a page and a fan connect on its platform, Facebook wants to ensure that the connection involves a real person with genuine interest in knowing more about and hearing from that particular Page. “As such, we have recently increased our automated efforts to remove Likes on Pages that may have been gained by means that violate our Facebook Terms,” Facebook adds further in its post titled ‘Improvements To Our Site Integrity Systems’.

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Facebook gives thumbs down to fake “Likes”

Now Facebook will be removing, on an average, less than 1 percent of Likes on any given Page, “providing they and their affiliates have been abiding by our terms”. Going further, Facebook adds that the newly improved automated efforts will target those Likes which have surfaced owing to malware, compromised accounts, deceived users or purchased bulk Likes. Facebook affirms that its new system has been configured specifically to identify and take action against dubious Likes, despite having dedicated protections against vices such as malware. The social networking giant strongly asserts that it never permitted the purchase and sale of Facebook Likes, since it only wants users connecting to those Pages and brands that they choose to. “Beyond the need to maintain authentic relationships on Facebook, these third-party vendors often attempt to use malware or other forms of deception to generate fraudulent Likes, which is harmful to all users and the internet as a whole,” the post notes further. 

What this means is that now when users visit a Page, they will see an authentic account of the fan count and demographics. Facebook adds here that this way, Pages will produce more relevant and interesting content. As for brands, authentic Likes would mean that they would see an increase in the engagement of a user with its content. 

On a related note, in a recent report – essentially a study – by eMarketer found after analysing data from eVoc Insights and the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council that hitting the ‘Like’ button on the Pages of brands, without necessarily having an affinity to it, has been giving brand owners mixed signals about brand loyalty. Some users, during their lazy Facebook browsing sessions, come across interesting pages of several brands, showcasing several products, and more often than not, hit the Like button without necessarily meaning they have an affinity for the brand. 

The survey revealed that 59 percent of all Facebook users ’liked’ a particular Facebook brand or company page over a period of six months. The report says while the sheer figure should boost the brand’s morale, the connection between a user ‘liking’ a brand’s page and having some loyalty towards them is hazy. Further, the eVoc sightings confirmed that 54 percent of users who hit the like button on the page of a particular brand selling a particular product, largely being food brands, TV shows, music, movies, and clothing, stated that they were more or less inclined to buy products from them.

Image source: selfishgiving.com