A NEW investigation has questioned the value of Facebook ‘likes’ and adverts.
Research from the BBC has suggested that companies could be wasting large sums of money on adverts merely to gain ‘likes’ from Facebook members, who may not actually be interested in their products.
A security expert told the broadcaster that many account holders who click on the links may have lied about personal information, with many profiles in fact merely fakes run by computer programs. ‘Likes’ are highly valued by the marketing departments of leading brands, as once a user has clicked on a link then they can post on the firm’s news feed, send messages and alert friends to their new connection.
Companies are charged a fee by Facebook to show adverts designed to attract new ‘likes’. However, Graham Cluley of security firm Sophos insists that the number of fake accounts poses a major problem to this strategy. ‘Spammers and malware authors can mass-produce false Facebook profiles to help them spread dangerous links and spam, and trick people into befriending them,’ he told the BBC. –Metro