Facebook sues company for selling likes
Facebook has filed a lawsuit against a New Zealand company and three private individuals who allegedly sold Instagram users fake likes and followers. The company made the announcement in the USA on Thursday.
Accounts associated with the defendants have been blocked, it added. The suspects had been warned that their activities violated the terms of use, but did not cease them, Facebook added.
By filing the lawsuit in a US court, Facebook wanted to send a signal: "That this type of fraudulent activity on our services will not be tolerated," the company explained.
After Facebook recently had to deal with a series of data protection scandals, the photo platform Instagram, which belongs to Facebook, announced last year that it would take stronger action against users who artificially increase their follower numbers. Users who are considered influencers and have a large fan base can often land lucrative advertising deals. (SDA)
