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Facebook Cracks Down On Fake Profiles

As part of its campaign against fake news, hate speech and other undesirable content, Facebook is cracking down on the bogus accounts that often create or distribute illicit or offensive material, the social network announced this week. The move comes amid mounting advertiser concern about ads appearing next to inappropriate content on Facebook as well as other big platforms, including Google’s YouTube.

The Facebook crackdown is targeting accounts that display telltale signs of automation and spam activity, such as posting the same link over and over again or flooding other users with nearly identical messages. Administrators are temporarily suspending accounts that fall in these categories and asking users to confirm that they are real people; if the user responds, the accounts will be restored. 

Facebook emphasized that accounts are being flagged based on their patterns of activity, not on the nature of the content itself.

Facebook technical program manager Shabnam Shaik, who is helping lead the effort, explained in a blog post on Facebook: “We’ve found that when people represent themselves on Facebook the same way they do in real life, they act responsibly. Fake accounts don't follow this pattern and are closely related to the creation and spread of spam. That's why we’re so focused on keeping these inauthentic accounts and their activity off our platform.”

The purge includes the elimination of 30,000 fake profiles in France, where politicians have voiced concern that the social network could be used to spread misinformation during the lead-up to the upcoming presidential election, scheduled to begin April 23. 

Lawmakers in Germany have also called on Facebook and other big platforms to do more to combat fake news and hate speech as that country prepares for its own parliamentary elections on Sept. 24. Earlier this month, German cabinet ministers approved a plan that would make social media companies liable for fines of up to €50 million, or $53.3 million, if they fail to remove certain kinds of illegal content within 24 hours of being notified.

Facebook also recently unveiled a new initiative to stamp out “revenge porn,” referring to the sharing of intimate photos of individuals without their consent, including automated image recognition that will prevent copies of flagged images from being re-posted after the original has been taken down.

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