Facebook flushing out fake page 'Likes'

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MENLO PARK, Calif., Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Facebook says it's begun a purge of fake accounts and "Likes" on the site, many coming from spammers attempting to artificially make pages appear more popular.

In a blog post, Facebook said it was increasing its efforts to identify and delete fake accounts or Likes that had been illicitly sold or gained by otherwise shady means, CNN reported Thursday.

"A Like that doesn't come from someone truly interested in connecting with a Page benefits no one ... " the post read. "When a Page and fan connect on Facebook, we want to ensure that connection involves a real person interested in hearing from a specific Page and engaging with that brand's content."

Pages that have been abiding by the rules should expect no more than a 1 percent dip in Likes as fake ones are removed, Facebook said.

Facebook said it has always been a violation of rules for Likes to be sold, but noted third-party vendors have been caught attempting to use malware and other deceptive tactics to do just that.

"While we have always had dedicated protections against each of these threats on Facebook, these improved systems have been specifically configured to identify and take action against suspicious Likes," Facebook said of its latest actions. "These newly improved automated efforts will remove those 'likes' gained by malware, compromised accounts, deceived users, or purchased bulk 'likes.'"