Meta Cracks Down on 'Unoriginal' Content - Following YouTube's Lead

Meta Intensifies Efforts Against Unoriginal Content on Facebook

Meta announced on Monday a series of new measures designed to combat the proliferation of “unoriginal” content on its Facebook platform. This initiative targets accounts that consistently repurpose content – text, images, or videos – created by others.

Approximately 10 million profiles impersonating prominent content creators have already been removed by Meta this year. These actions demonstrate a proactive stance against fraudulent activity.

Addressing Spam and Fake Engagement

Furthermore, Meta has taken action against 500,000 accounts exhibiting “spammy behavior” or engaging in artificial engagement tactics. Consequences for these accounts include demotion of comments and reduced content distribution, hindering their ability to generate revenue.

This update from Meta closely follows a similar policy clarification by YouTube regarding unoriginal content, particularly mass-produced and repetitive videos often generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence.

Distinguishing Legitimate Use from Content Theft

Like YouTube, Meta clarifies that it will not penalize users legitimately engaging with existing content. Activities such as creating reaction videos, participating in trends, or offering unique perspectives are explicitly excluded from these measures.

The primary focus remains on the unauthorized reposting of content, whether by spam accounts or those falsely representing the original creator’s identity.

Consequences for Content Abuse

Accounts found to be repeatedly exploiting the system by reusing another’s content will face temporary loss of access to Facebook monetization programs. Their posts will also experience reduced distribution reach.

When duplicate videos are detected, Facebook will limit the visibility of the copies, prioritizing the original creator’s views and recognition.

A testing phase is underway for a system that will link duplicate videos directly to the original source material, providing viewers with easy access to the authentic content.

Addressing User Concerns and Policy Enforcement

This update arrives amidst growing criticism from users regarding perceived overzealous and inaccurate enforcement of Meta’s policies through automated systems. A petition garnering nearly 30,000 signatures calls for improvements in account recovery and enhanced human support.

Meta has yet to publicly respond to these concerns, despite significant attention from the media and influential creators.

The Rise of AI-Generated Content

While Meta’s current crackdown centers on content theft for profit, the broader issue of unoriginal content is expanding. The increasing prevalence of AI technology has led to a surge in low-quality, AI-generated media, often referred to as “AI slop.”

Platforms are now encountering a flood of content featuring AI voices narrating repurposed images and video clips, facilitated by text-to-video AI tools.

Focus on Authenticity and Originality

Meta’s update appears to address reused content specifically, but its guidance suggests consideration of AI-generated “slop” as well. The company advises creators to avoid simply “stitching together clips” or adding watermarks to borrowed content.

Instead, Meta emphasizes the importance of “authentic storytelling” and creating videos that offer genuine value.

These recommendations implicitly target the type of low-quality videos easily produced by AI, often consisting of a sequence of images or clips accompanied by AI-generated narration.

Additional Guidelines and Implementation

Meta also reiterates its longstanding rule against reusing content from other applications or sources. It also stresses the need for high-quality video captions, potentially discouraging the use of unedited, automated AI captions.

These changes will be implemented gradually over the coming months, allowing Facebook creators time to adapt. Creators can monitor their content’s distribution performance through post-level insights in the Professional Dashboard.

The Support home screen within a Page or professional profile’s main menu will also provide information regarding potential content recommendation or monetization penalties.

Transparency and Ongoing Efforts

Meta regularly publishes data on its content takedowns in its quarterly Transparency Reports. The most recent report indicated that 3% of Facebook’s worldwide monthly active users were fake accounts, with 1 billion fake accounts removed between January and March 2025.

Recently, Meta has shifted away from direct fact-checking, instead favoring Community Notes in the U.S., a system similar to X, where users contribute to assessing the accuracy and adherence to Community Standards of posted content.

• Key Takeaway: Meta is actively working to reduce unoriginal content on Facebook.
• Impact: Creators should focus on producing authentic and original material.
• Resources: Facebook’s Professional Dashboard provides insights into content performance.