Instagram to Wipe Out Fake Followers Using Machine Learning

• Instagram is set to remove all fake followers, likes, and comments from the platform.
• The social media platform will be using machine learning to identify all inauthentic activity on the platform.
• Users who have their engagement removed will be notified by the platform starting today.

Instagram wants to put an end to accounts that make use of third-party tools to grow their audience on the platform. While there are many users who use the platform for real-life usage, there are many users who are simply obsessed about their follower count or want to promote commercial accounts by showcasing fake follower counts.

Instagram is set to go on cleanup duty with the platform removing all inauthentic likes and follower activity starting today. The platform has wiped out accounts in the past, but this time around, they are taking advantage of machine learning to do so. The social media giant has built machine learning tools to identify the behavior of bot accounts that are designed to follow users and like posts.

Usage of services that promise more followers and likes is against the Community Guidelines of the platform as well as the Terms of Use. Accounts that make use of these services will be notified by the platform that the inauthentic likes, follows and comments have been removed from their account. They will also be asked to change their passwords for security reasons.

Instagram revealed that sometimes users do not realize by giving access to third-party services for boosting their engagement, they are also risking online security. In some cases, services ask for login credentials which many are happy to give away in exchange of added engagement on their accounts. Users who continue using these services despite warnings may have their account access blocked.

Earlier this year Twitter started banning bot accounts as well with millions of accounts being removed. It is unknown how many accounts will be affected on Instagram, but considering the popularity of third-party services that promise followers and engagement, we can expect a large number of accounts to be removed from the platform.

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