In an effort to combat low-quality content flooding social media, Meta announced that it removed approximately 10 million Facebook profiles in the first half of 2025 for impersonating top content creators. This move comes at a time when artificial intelligence makes it easy to produce content in large quantities.
Introduction: A battle for authenticity
Meta said on Monday that it has removed about 10 million Facebook profiles for impersonating major content producers so far in 2025, in an effort to curb spammy content. This crackdown comes at a time when artificial intelligence makes it easy to produce content in bulk across social media platforms, leading to the spread of what is known as “AI slop”—low-quality, unoriginal content aimed at generating clicks.
This campaign is part of a broader effort by Meta to make the Facebook feed more relevant and authentic by cracking down on and removing accounts that engage in spammy behavior. As part of this initiative, Meta is also rolling out stricter measures to boost original engagement from creators, the company said in a blog post.
Crackdown on unoriginal content
Facebook has also taken action against nearly 500,000 accounts found to be involved in unoriginal and spammy behavior. These measures included downranking comments and reducing content distribution, which aim to make it harder for these accounts to monetize their posts.
Meta said that unoriginal content is when images or videos are repurposed without giving credit to the original source. Meta stated it now has technology that will detect duplicate videos and reduce the distribution of such content. This poses a major challenge, as much of internet culture, especially memes, relies on reusing and remixing content.
Coinciding with AI investments
The crackdown on spammy and unoriginal content comes as Meta ramps up its investments in artificial intelligence, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg announcing plans on Monday to spend “hundreds of billions of dollars” on AI computing infrastructure to power the company’s first cluster next year. This timing highlights the paradox facing tech companies: they are investing heavily in the very technology that facilitates the creation of the content they are now fighting.
Other platforms’ efforts to combat “AI slop”
Meta is not alone in this fight. Other platforms are also taking steps to combat the surge in spammy, low-quality content on social media. Google’s YouTube announced a policy change this month preventing mass-produced or repetitive content from being eligible for revenue. This announcement sparked confusion on social media, with many users believing this was a rollback of YouTube’s stance on AI content. However, YouTube clarified that the policy change is intended to curb unoriginal, spammy, and repetitive videos. A YouTube spokesperson said: “We welcome creators who use AI tools to enhance their storytelling, and channels that use AI in their content remain eligible for monetization.”
Conclusion: An ongoing challenge
Meta’s campaign against fake accounts and spammy content represents a necessary step in an ongoing battle to maintain the quality and authenticity of content on its platforms. As AI tools continue to evolve, this battle will only become more difficult. Platforms will need to continuously innovate and develop more sophisticated detection technologies to stay ahead. Ultimately, the future of social media depends on these companies’ ability to balance encouraging creativity (including AI-assisted creativity) while protecting users from a deluge of low-quality, unoriginal content.
