Facebook Deletes 10 Million Accounts And Warns The Purge Will Go On

Forbes

5 days ago

Facebook is purging accounts, 10 million gone in just six months.
Some of the world's biggest online platforms are purging accounts. We've seen Google Maps and Gmail users impacted, Samsung recently emailed me an account deletion warning, and now Facebook can be added to the list. Meta has confirmed that a staggering 10 million accounts have been deleted in the first half of 2025 alone, and the purge is not stopping there. Here's everything you need to know.
10 Million Facebook Accounts Deleted Since The Start Of 2025
Nobody likes the thought of their online accounts being deleted, which is why there was something of a panic around Google sending emails about just such a purge when they hit inboxes towards the end of 2023. Of course, that panic was unjustified, as the emails referred to a change in Google's inactive account policy, which meant that those left unused for two years were being deleted. But what if active accounts are being purged, as is the case with the Facebook confirmation, is that cause for concern? The answer, at least for the overwhelming majority of legitimate Facebook users, is a resounding no. In fact, I'd argue it's cause for security celebration.
A July 14 announcement in the Facebook creators blog explains exactly why in its lede: 'We believe that creators should be celebrated for their unique voices and perspectives, not drowned out by copycats and impersonators.' Given the warning issued to all 220 Amazon Prime customers regarding attacks where brand impersonation was front and center, it should come as some relief to us all that Meta is taking the issue seriously when it comes to Facebook creators. All too often, such impersonation is just one step away from malicious intent, using the reputation of others to engender trust and leverage attack methodologies.
As a continuation of efforts to remove spammy content, including fake engagement and impersonation, Facebook has confirmed that since the start of the year, it 'took down around 10 million profiles impersonating large content producers.' This is in addition to 500,000 accounts found to have been engaging in said spammy behavior and fake engagement having comments demoted, reach reduced and monetization stopped. The good news is that Meta intends to carry on doing more of the same. 'Facebook aims to be a place where original content thrives, and creators are rewarded for their hard work and creativity,' the announcement concluded.