Instagram to delete fake likes and follows from third-party apps

Instagram

• Instagram
  is cracking down on accounts that use third-party apps to dole
  out fake likes and follows, the
  company announced Monday.
• Using machine learning tools, the photo-sharing platform will
  remove “inauthentic” likes, which are generated by third-party
  platforms designed to boost audience growth for users.
• Facebook,
  Instagram’s parent company, has also worked to take down
  accounts and pages that
  have been linked to “inauthentic behavior.”

Influencers and brands who use bot apps to boost their
popularity and increase audience growth may be in trouble, thanks
to a new initiative Instagram announced Monday.

In a
blog post, Instagram said it would start removing fake likes,
follows, and comments using “machine learning tools” it had
built. The initiative is targeting “inauthentic activity” from
third-party apps designed to boost popularity and audience on the
platform, Instagram says.

“This type of behavior is bad for the community, and
third-party apps that generate inauthentic likes, follows and
comments violate our Community
Guidelines and Terms
of Use,” the blog post says. “Today’s update is just another
step in keeping Instagram a vibrant community where people
connect and share in authentic ways.”

Third-party apps are often used by influencers and brands
who are trying to get more followers and boost their popularity.
Users can pay for these apps to generate an abundance of activity
for their accounts and hopefully increase their audience.

Accounts that have been identified as users of such third-party
apps will receive messages from Instagram that notify them their
fake activity has been removed, Instagram said. Instagram
will also require such accounts to change their passwords, since
third-party apps are given access to users’ passwords and
sensitive account info when they pay for these services.

Instagram has attempted to fight such actions of
third-party services in the past. Back in August, Instagram

rolled out an
“About This Account” feature in an effort to let users
themselves evaluate the authenticity of other
accounts. 
Instagram
shut down a popular third-party app last year called
Instagress, however, numerous audience-boosting providers still
exist, including Archie, InstarocketProX, and Boostio.

Read more:

Here are some of the posts that Facebook says were part of a
coordinated misinformation campaign ahead of American
elections

While this initiative targeting “inauthentic activity” is
Instagram-specific, the platform’s parent company, Facebook, has
led several efforts to
target “inauthentic behavior,”  including a
misinformation “war room” ahead of midterm elections. This
has included taking down accounts and profiles from both Facebook
and Instagram stemming from
Iran and
Russia for disseminating fake political news.

Instagram also said Monday that this wasn’t the only action it
was taking to fight inauthenticity on the platform, and that it
would reveal “additional measures” in the coming weeks.

The blog post warns that users who continue to use third-party
apps “may see their Instagram experience
impacted.”