BBC News
Facebook deleting fake 'likes', independent data suggests
Facebook has begun deleting fake page likes
8.7% of its users are not real many having been set up by spammers who use them to artificially make pages appear more popular. This rises a problem for Facebook as it seeks to expand its targeted advertising service.
In a blog post written in August, Facebook said: "A 'like' that doesn't come from someone truly interested in connecting with a page benefits no-one.
However Facebook does not confirm to the BBC that the purge was happening, but could not provide an alternative explanation for the drop in numbers this because they still want their social website to be the top and positive whereas they are getting negative results
Promoting online engagement with brands is a key component of Facebook's business model
where information such as age, gender and location to target certain advertisements at specific recipients are kept..
However, this system is increasingly coming under threat from a black market of fake "likes", sold in bulk in order to falsely boost a brand's figures.
