Spammers Can "Use Facebook as Page" to Like-Spam Posts and Comments

Facebook recently launched a "Use Facebook as Page" feature for Page administrators that allows them to assume the identity of their Page so they can Like, post, and comment around the site. However, this has enabled a new spamming technique, whereby Pages can Like the posts or comments of other users and Pages to create links back to themselves. Since there is no option to remove Likes or ban those who Like any Facebook feed item, a victim can't delete the links, and their only option is to report the Page as spam and wait for Facebook to address the issue. Like spam has not become a significant issue yet, but holds an opportunity for malicious parties until Facebook creates a solution. Facebook has introduced several new wall post and comment spam prevention systems lately, automatically hiding posts containing suspicious links and turning suspicious comments gray to alert admins. Like-spam via Pages, though, only recently became possible, and therefore Facebook may not have recognized the risk. Until the launch of Use Facebook as Page as part of the February 2011 Page redesign, only users could post and comment on the walls of other Pages, and they could be removed and banned from Pages. There is no option for an admin of a Page to ban another Page for Like-spam. The ban option only becomes available if the malicious Page posts or comments. We've heard a few reports of Like spam, particularly by Pages whose name hocks a service, such as "We Fix Slow Computers", even though this form of Like-spam has only been available for two months. Facebook needs to provide Page admins a way to ban other Pages from Liking content on their wall before it becomes a more popular method of driving traffic to spammy Pages. [Thanks to Bryan Person for the tip] To learn about tools your can Page can use to fight spam, visit the Facebook Marketing Bible’s Service Provider Directory, a guide to the companies offering marketing and technical services to brands and organizations of all sizes on Facebook.

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Spammers Can "Use Facebook as Page" to Like-Spam Posts and Comments

Josh Constine

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