Meta’s Crackdown on Unoriginal Facebook Content
Notably, Meta is tackling unoriginal content on Facebook by targeting repeated reposts of others’ videos, photos, or text. Specifically, Facebook will penalize these accounts by reducing distribution and restricting monetization, aiming to elevate creator-driven, authentic content. Moreover, the platform is testing features to redirect users to original posts, ensuring proper credit is given. Consequently, this crackdown should enhance user experience by boosting diversity and visibility of original creators. Ultimately, this initiative aligns with Meta’s broader effort to fight spam already removing over 500,000 spammy accounts in early 2025 as it follows YouTube’s lead in promoting originality .
What Meta Is Doing
- Reducing reach & demonetizing repeat reposts: Accounts uploading the same content without meaningful additions will see limited distribution and lose monetization access .
- Linking back to originals: Testing features that surface the original source for reposted videos, giving credit to creators .
- Purging fake accounts: In H1 2025, Meta removed about 500,000 spammy profiles and 10 million impersonator accounts .
Approved vs. Penalized
Notably, Meta still supports transformative content such as reaction videos, memes with added commentary, or creative edits. However, exact copies and watermarked reposts will be penalized. Specifically, Facebook will reduce their distribution and revoke monetization eligibility for such content. Consequently, creators are encouraged to add meaningful commentary, voiceovers, or edits to avoid being flagged. Ultimately, this approach balances promoting originality while allowing creative reuse.
Creator Guidelines
To stay compliant and maximize reach, Meta recommends:
- Post original content you created.
- Enhance reposts meaningfully add voiceover, commentary, or unique edits.
- Avoid watermarks or verbatim reposts from other apps.
- Use quality captions and minimal hashtags .
Why is Meta Doing This?
Notably, Meta aims to improve content quality on Facebook by cracking down on unoriginal material. Specifically, they intend to:
- Encourage creators to produce unique content.
- Reduce the spread of spam and low-quality posts.
- Ultimately, Meta aims to enhance the overall user experience on Facebook.
What Constitutes Unoriginal Content?
Unoriginal content includes:
- Posts that are heavily copied from other sources.
- Content designed primarily to drive traffic to external websites.
- Duplicated or repetitive content that offers little value to users.
How Will Meta Enforce This?
Notably, Meta is likely using a hybrid detection model combining automated systems and human review to flag and remove unoriginal content. Specifically, AI systems first detect duplicates or low-quality reposts in real time, while human moderators handle nuanced cases that need deeper judgment . Moreover, Facebook prioritizes content for review based on factors like severity, virality, and likelihood of violation, ensuring the most harmful or widespread reposts are addressed quickly . Furthermore, Meta is testing features that redirect users to original posts, aiming to boost creator attribution and authenticity . Ultimately, these measures reflect Meta’s broader strategy to curb unoriginal content and support authentic creators across Facebook .
- Demote unoriginal content in users’ feeds.
- Restrict the reach of Pages and profiles that repeatedly share unoriginal content.
- Remove monetization privileges from accounts that violate the policy.
Impact on Content Creators
Consequently, this change will impact content creators, especially those who rely on repurposing materials from other platforms. Specifically, creators who repost videos or images without adding original commentary such as reaction, remixing, or meaningful edits may face reduced monetization, throttled reach, or temporary removal from monetization programs on Facebook . Therefore, affected creators should consider enhancing reposted content with voiceovers, commentary, or unique storytelling to stay compliant. Creators should focus on producing original, engaging content that provides value to their audience. Check out Facebook’s community standards for guidelines.
YouTube’s Similar Initiative
YouTube has also been actively combating unoriginal content. Their efforts include stricter monetization policies and measures to prevent the spread of duplicate content. These actions indicate a broader trend among social media platforms to prioritize originality and quality.
