Not a fan of the "fake it 'till you make it" philosophy, Facebook warns that it's prepared to pursue legal action to punish users and organizations that spam the social networking site with fake likes and scripted recommendations.
Facebook says spam on its site is rare, but it's engineers and legal team still battle a constant stream of scammers and malicious scripts. So scammers will offer organizations on Facebook packages of tens of thousands of likes, using fake and hacked accounts to generate the 'thumbs up' actions.
Scams and fake likes are bad for everyone, says Matt Jones, a Facebook site integrity engineer. On the technical side, Jones says Facebook works to stay steps ahead of scammers.
"We adapt our defenses constantly to stay ahead of spammers' techniques, and one area we've focused on for several years is fake likes," says Jones. "We have a strong incentive to aggressively get rid of fake likes because businesses and people who use our platform want real connections and results, not fakes."
Facebook uses machine learning to track down fake likes and sponsored friending. Once it has pinpointed fraudulent activity, it removes likes and banishes fake accounts in bulk.
The social networking site despises spam so much, it passes on its techniques to the academic community, according to Jones.
"We want to help block spam no matter where it spreads," says Jones.
On the legal side, Facebook hits scammers in their purses and wallets, says Jones. When an account's likes soar, it flies on the radar of Facebook's site integrity team.
"We have obtained nearly $2 billion in legal judgments against spammers, and we utilize these channels when possible to remind would-be offenders that we will fight back to prevent abuse on our platform," says Jones. "We also limit likes per account to make spammers' operations less efficient. When like activity gets unusually high, we take additional steps to make sure the likes are legitimate, such as asking for additional verification."
Jones recommends that organizations avoid purchasing likes and focus on meeting core business objectives. He also suggests that organizations protect their computers from malware, which can take over Facebook accounts and compromise the integrity of businesses.
While Facebook's engineering teams promise to uphold the integrity of the site's interactions, its research division recently vowed it would hold itself to higher standards.
Mike Schroepfer, chief technology officer, said the social networking site has improved its research guidelines, expanded its review process and upgraded its training courses. The changes come at least partly in response to fallout surrounding the site's controversial mood study, in which researchers attempted to alter the moods of unwitting Facebook users.
