Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, has intensified its campaign against fake activity and unoriginal content, announcing the removal of over 10 million fake profiles and 500,000 spam accounts in the first half of 2025.

In a blog post on Monday, the tech giant said the move is part of a broader crackdown on impersonation, copycat content, and fake engagement designed to promote authenticity and elevate original creators.

“We’re making progress. In the first half of 2025, we took action on around 500,000 accounts engaged in spammy behaviour or fake engagement. We also removed about 10 million profiles impersonating large content producers,” Meta stated.

The company is now penalising accounts that repost or recycle content without meaningful changes. Such users may lose access to monetisation tools and see reduced content reach on Facebook feeds.

Meta warned that simply stitching video clips together or adding watermarks would no longer qualify as meaningful editing. “Pages and profiles that post mostly original content tend to enjoy wider distribution across Facebook,” the company said.

To support genuine creators, Meta has rolled out tools to link reposted content back to its original source. These tools are aimed at helping creators get proper credit and improved visibility for their work.

Additionally, the Professional Dashboard now features post-level insights, allowing creators to monitor the performance of their content. Users can also access the Support Home screen to check if their accounts are at risk of restrictions or demonetisation.

Meta has also issued a fresh warning against uploading watermarked content from other platforms, saying it could result in penalties including reduced reach or the loss of monetisation opportunities.

Meanwhile, rival platform YouTube has introduced a similar policy. The video-sharing platform will no longer monetise mass-produced or highly repetitive content. The announcement initially caused confusion among users, with some fearing it signalled a ban on AI-generated content. However, YouTube clarified that creators using AI to enhance storytelling remain eligible to monetise.

“We welcome creators using AI tools to enhance their storytelling,” YouTube said in a statement.

Both Meta and YouTube say the updated policies are part of ongoing efforts to maintain content quality and protect originality in a rapidly evolving digital ecosystem.