Facebook has removed more than 20 million accounts impersonating major content creators on the platform in 2025.

The platform said this was targeted at promoting original content and curbing copycat posts. It stressed that impersonation reports related to large content creators dropped by 33 per cent in the year under review.

The social media platform, owned by Meta, which announced this yesterday, said the action is part of a broader push to ensure creators, who produce original videos and posts, gain greater reach, stronger protection and more opportunities to earn money.

Checks by The Guardian showed that as of early 2025, Nigeria has one of the largest Facebook audiences in Africa, with estimates indicating over 38 to 48 million active users. The platform remained a dominant social media force, with users mostly aged 25–34, and the user base is skewed slightly towards men (approx. 57 per cent).

Further, the company said impersonation reports linked to large creators dropped 33 per cent in 2025 following the crackdown.

The Mark Zuckerberg-owned firm said it has been increasing its focus on original content over the past year, particularly on its short-video product, Reels.

According to the company, both views and time spent watching original Reels nearly doubled in the second half of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024.

The platform said the growth shows that efforts to highlight authentic content while reducing the spread of copied material are starting to reshape how videos are discovered and shared.

As part of the latest update, Facebook has introduced clearer guidelines defining what counts as original content, helping creators understand which posts are eligible for recommendations in Feed and Reels and which can qualify for monetisation.

Under the updated rules, videos filmed or produced directly by a creator are considered original. Content that simply republishes another creator’s video, or makes only minor changes such as adding captions, borders or speed adjustments, may be classified as unoriginal and see reduced distribution.

Further, accounts that repeatedly post duplicated content could also lose eligibility for recommendations or monetisation, the company said.

Facebook said it will continue to allow creators to remix or use third-party clips if they add meaningful creative input, such as analysis, commentary, storytelling or new context.

Alongside the policy changes, the platform is expanding tools aimed at protecting creators from content theft and impersonation.

A content protection feature introduced last year can automatically detect matches to a creator’s original Reels across Meta’s platforms. The company said it is now testing improvements that will also flag potential impersonation accounts, allowing creators to submit reports and take action from a single dashboard.

The upgraded tools will gradually roll out to more creators, who can check availability through their professional dashboard.

The changes come as major social media companies compete to attract video creators and viewers in the rapidly growing short-form video market, where platforms such as TikTok and YouTube Shorts have driven intense competition for attention and advertising revenue.

By tightening rules around copied material and impersonation, Facebook said it aimed to create a platform where original creators receive more visibility, stronger protections and better financial rewards for their works.