Facebook Works To Reduce Spam, Will Require Apps To Implement Authorized Actions

In a quest to cut back on spam in the newsfeed, Facebook is now requiring apps to use authorized actions such as “Read”, “Watch”, “Listen”, “Follow”, or “Like” in order for content to automatically be shared in a Facebook users ticker or newsfeed.

Apps that automatically publish content while a user is consuming content can continue using their own custom action for the next 90 days. If a developer decides to keep using their own custom action users will instead have to click a button in order for that content to be shared.

Also adding to this change is giving more weight in the newsfeed to location updates or photos. We’re seeing the web become much more visual and Facebook claims that posts containing “visuals” receive 70% more clicks on average, including up to 50 times more “Likes”.

For apps that post to friend’s walls through the API, the social network is cracking down as well. Moving forward, Facebook is demanding that developers focus more on quality to prevent negative feedback.

These changes are part of efforts to be more transparent and offer a more consistent experience across the social network.