Meta & YouTube Target Unoriginal

Meta has stepped up its efforts to combat unoriginal content on Facebook, taking a firmer stance against accounts that simply repost other people’s work without permission or making any meaningful edits.

As part of this move, Facebook plans to remove the ability to earn money from pages and profiles that repeatedly share recycled content. This update mirrors a recent policy change by YouTube, which is cracking down on what it describes as “repetitious” and mass-produced material.

Both tech giants seem to be reacting to the growing problem of content farms – accounts and websites that flood platforms with copied or low-quality posts purely to generate ad revenue.

In its announcement, Meta confirmed it has already taken significant steps, including removing around 10 million profiles pretending to be well-known content creators. Additionally, it has clamped down on 500,000 accounts that were found to be engaging in spam-like behaviour or fake engagement.

With these stricter measures, Meta aims to create a fairer environment for original creators whose genuine work often gets overshadowed by copied or low-effort content.

A Platform-Wide Movement Against Content Farms

Meta’s recent announcement comes shortly after YouTube unveiled its own update on monetisation rules, setting out a clearer stance against “inauthentic” content.

Both tech giants are tackling the rising issue of accounts making money from reposting other people’s work without permission or adding anything original.

Meta explained that Facebook pages and profiles which repeatedly share reused videos, photos or text posts will be removed from its monetisation programmes. These accounts will also see their overall reach and visibility reduced across the platform.

As part of its efforts, Facebook is also trialling a new system that adds a direct link on duplicated videos, guiding viewers back to the original creator’s page.

An example shared by Meta shows how this will appear on a reposted video, making it clear who created the original content.

In its official blog post, Meta emphasised its goal, saying:

“We believe that creators should be celebrated for their unique voices and perspectives, not drowned out by copycats and impersonators.”

These steps highlight Meta’s commitment to protecting original content and ensuring creators get proper credit for their work.

What Counts As Unoriginal Content?

Both Meta and YouTube make an important distinction between unoriginal content and transformative content, such as reaction videos, commentary, or other edits that add new value.

Meta points out that problems arise when creators simply repost someone else’s work without permission or making any meaningful changes. Adding things like editing, voiceover, or new context is what makes content transformative rather than a copy.

Ahead of YouTube’s recent policy update, creator liaison Renee Richie also offered some clarification.

He explained:

“This is a minor update to YouTube’s long-standing YPP policies to help better identify when content is mass-produced or repetitive.”

These updates reflect both platforms’ ongoing efforts to encourage originality and discourage copying without creative input.

How AI & Automation Factor In

Neither YouTube nor Meta has imposed an outright ban on AI-generated content. Instead, their recent policy updates seem focused on tackling the surge of low-quality, automated material that brings little genuine value to audiences.

YouTube has clarified that creators can use AI tools, provided the final video or post offers original commentary, educational insights or something that adds meaningful context. It’s also important for creators to clearly disclose when synthetic content has been used.

Meta’s updated guidance follows a similar approach, warning against simply piecing together existing clips or depending too heavily on recycled material. Instead, it places emphasis on “authentic storytelling” and encouraging creators to share their own perspectives.

These changes appear to be aimed at AI-assisted compilations or reposts that fail to add anything unique, keeping the focus on creativity and originality.

Potential Impact

For content creators, the recent updates from Meta and YouTube serve as a reminder of just how vital originality and genuine creativity are in today’s digital landscape.

Creators who produce reaction videos, commentary pieces, or carefully curated content that adds real value are unlikely to be negatively affected. In fact, these changes could work in their favour as spam-heavy accounts and copycats lose visibility.

Conversely, accounts that largely depend on reposting others’ work with only minor edits or little genuine variation might see their reach cut back and risk losing access to monetisation tools.

To help creators navigate these new rules, Meta has rolled out fresh post-level insights within its Professional Dashboard. It has also introduced a feature allowing page owners to check if their content is at risk of facing distribution limits or losing monetisation.

Likewise, YouTube is providing additional support and advice through its Creator Liaison and dedicated help channels, aiming to help creators understand and adapt to these policy shifts.

Best Practices For Staying Compliant

To keep monetisation eligibility on Facebook, Meta suggests that creators should focus on sharing mostly original content that they’ve filmed or produced themselves.

When using content from other sources, it’s important to add genuine value – whether that’s through thoughtful editing, voiceover, or commentary that changes the original in a meaningful way.

Meta also advises prioritising engaging storytelling rather than relying on very short or low-effort posts that offer little substance.

Creators should steer clear of recycling old content, especially anything with watermarks or noticeably poor production quality.

Finally, writing quality captions matters too – Meta recommends using clear, well-written text with limited hashtags and avoiding excessive capital letters to keep posts looking professional and authentic.

Looking Ahead

Recent updates from Meta and YouTube suggest there’s now a broader industry push to tackle unoriginal content, including low-effort AI-generated material and large-scale content farms.

Although not every creator will feel the impact of these changes straight away, it’s clear that platforms are shifting focus. The emphasis is moving towards content that is genuinely original and adds real value for audiences.

The days when it was easy to make money simply by reposting others’ work are coming to an end. Looking ahead, creators hoping to thrive on Facebook and YouTube will need to invest more effort in storytelling, creativity, and authentic, original content.