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Instagram is now using machine learning to remove fake likes, follows and comments

Instagram announced today that it will begin removing inauthentic likes, follows and comments from accounts that use third-party apps to boost their popularity. According to Instagram the third-party apps in question violate its policies and users will be prompted to stop using them.

Accounts that use the questionable services will receive in-app messages alerting them that inauthentic likes, follows and comments given by their account to others have been removed. Affected users will also have to change their password.

"Since the early days of Instagram, we have auto-detected and removed fake accounts to protect our community," the company wrote in a blog post. "Today's update is just another step in keeping Instagram a vibrant community where people connect and share in authentic ways."

The company says it has developed a series of machine-learning tools that can identify the use this type of third-party apps and users who continue with their use will "see their Instagram experience impacted". This could be limited access to certain features, for example.

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Deniis
Deniis

This is not bad news for social network users.

Jan 23, 2019
Chris Wolfgram
Chris Wolfgram

Instagram just sucks regardless.

They can keep their stupid little square thumbnails.

Nov 24, 2018
Alexander Raemer
Alexander Raemer

If IG were really seriouse they would delete all followers and comments so we are all equal and start with a clean slate. That would make me smile all week...

Nov 23, 2018
Old Cameras

Now if they would only remove all the pictures of peoples fake lives. But then there would be nothing left.

Nov 21, 2018
Kris_Holmes81

That’s the best (and most accurate) comment I’ve read in a while!

Nov 21, 2018
MirkoK

I think the suicide rate will go through the roof, as people with a fake Instagram lives wont be getting any likes from now on.

Nov 22, 2018
Mikee
Mikee

Nothing left but flower photos.

Nov 25, 2018
(unknown member)

Now we just have to wait for some people to claim that this constitutes “censorship.”

Nov 21, 2018
bazzk

This is realy a good news.

Nov 21, 2018
EXkurogane
EXkurogane

More like, "In order to get likes and followers, we don't allow 3rd party applications and bots. But you can always pay us instead to do it for you."

Anyway, Instagram is full of trashy images by social media influencers and selfies getting all the likes and followers, but real quality photos not getting as much attention.

Nov 20, 2018
bs1946
bs1946

I agree, it is definitely about time. half of the follower I get are people with Eastern European sounding names and thousands of followers. When I look at their page, they have a couple of dozen poor quality photographs posted, some don't have any, and some are just click-bait for whatever they are pushing you to buy. If I don't follow them in a day or two, they very quickly unfollow me.

Nov 20, 2018
dccdp

How does an Eastern European name sound like? You know, there are many language/nations there.

To dpreview: are discriminatory/intolerant posts allowed now?

Nov 20, 2018
Yake

Well it's about time. Instagram is a mess. My Instagram account "follows" thousands of people that I never actually followed. They are all using some sort of dirty tricks to get fake follows. It's pretty disgusting. And it totally ruins the feed. And Instagram offers no feature to mass unfollow. In fact, they block/freeze you from unfollowing more than 50 in a day.

Nov 20, 2018
Spectro

Fight the bots with bots.

like those comments about promotion and getting more followers will get deleted, nice.

Nov 20, 2018
celestialemissary
celestialemissary

so all comments will be removed ?

Nov 20, 2018
Bobthearch
Bobthearch

Yeah, there won't be anything left. :D

Nov 21, 2018
progo

A most convenient way to strip out those pesky russian bots and wrongthinkers!

Nov 20, 2018
just someone
just someone

good news if you use instagram

Nov 20, 2018
IdM photography
IdM photography

It's time... But why does Instagram still allow third party access to their platform?

Nov 20, 2018
Bertram61
Bertram61

I'm glad they do! Because I use an app that finds all ghost followers so I can block them.

Nov 21, 2018
huyzer
huyzer

Good.

Nov 20, 2018
NemanRa
NemanRa

they also should work on tags, and their visibility. it's not unusual to see that your #s are invisible to others...

on the other hand, the good news is that there'll be less "influencers", attention who*es and fake people in general.

regards

Nov 20, 2018
Chris Dodkin
Chris Dodkin

This is the dreaded shadowban - IG use AI to review both the image content, and the hashtags, then decide if they think they want to restrict the 'advertising' of that post via hashtags. If they decide to shadowban the post, the hashtags simply don't work, and no-one can find the post using hashtags. This hugely impacts the number of likes and follows on the post/account, and at no time is the OP told that IG are deliberately censoring their content's distribution on the platform

Nov 20, 2018*
Wu Jiaqiu
Wu Jiaqiu

maybe trip advisor can borrow it off them......

Nov 20, 2018
eno2

Instagram should have started doing this for a ling time ago!

Instagram is full of bots for quite some time. :(

Nov 20, 2018
PortraitLover
PortraitLover

i dont think instagram will remove existing ones, i think they will remove new ones. The followers for eg, would love to see all those fakes being purged but dont think its what this article meant.

Nov 21, 2018*
sjazz
sjazz

It was about time. Fake followers and fake likes mean fake social media influencers

Nov 20, 2018
Yake

Yup. Many of the people that I allegedly follow have thousands and thousands of followers. The problem is: I never followed them. So they are using some sleazy scheme to get "followers" who never actually followed them. And their follower numbers are FAKE. Jerks!!!

Nov 21, 2018