Facebook cracks down on insincere 8216;Likes8217;

8220;These newly improved automated efforts will remove those Likes gained by malware,compromised accounts,deceived users or purchased bulk Likes.8221;

Facebook has long given members the ability to endorse pages at the social network by clicking on 8220;Like8221; icons.

High numbers of Likes can give 8220;fan count8221; status to pages,particularly those dedicated to brands.

8220;A Like that doesn8217;t come from someone truly interested in connecting with a page benefits no one,8221; Facebook said.

8220;This improvement will allow pages to produce ever more relevant and interesting content,and brands will see an increase in the true engagement around their content.8221;

Facebook expected that less than one percent of the fan count on any given page would be trimmed as a result of the crackdown on 8220;suspicious Likes.8221;