[rwmj]

They didn't catch the 3 fake profiles I set up on Facebook. I've not used them for five or more years, but I checked recently and they are still there and still let me log in without so much as a "where you been". They all have obviously fake names and were used only for testing advertising at various times in the past.

[forgotmypw]

They did, however, "catch" my Instagram account, which was only used by a human (me).

Since posting is not possible without installing the app, I never posted anything, but I did have a profile picture, followed accounts, and commented on posts.

Then, one day, I tried to log in, and it was gone. Email address not recognized in password reset. No trace of any kind.

So long, Instagram.

[adventured]

> Since posting is not possible without installing the app, I never posted anything

You can post from eg desktop Chrome, without using the app. I routinely do this since I don't like installing FB apps on my phone. I often edit photos on my desktop prior to uploading, so it's just plain convenient.

Sign in on the desktop with Chrome. Go to your default home page (the person body icon). Right mouse click -> inspect page.

At the top, change the page to responsive, and set something like eg 680x680 as the dimensions for the page (you can drag resize to different dimensions). Now reload the page. It will present the standard mobile interface bar at the bottom of the page, including the ability to upload images (the plus icon within a box).

[forgotmypw]

Thanks for this insight. I will keep in mind if I ever decide to bother with Instagram again.

[wolco]

Would resizing the window smaller do the same?

[jobigoud]

Haven't tested but moving to resposive might trigger a user agent change.

Can the same be done on FF?

[333c]

Firefox has a mode where you can choose from a dropdown of phone/tablet types, and it will set your user agent and screen size appropriately. I believe it's called "Responsive Design Mode."

[jobigoud]

That worked, thanks.

Dev tools > Responsive Design Mode in the top right, then back on the main page, selected a phone model. I had to reload the page for it to show the phone version of the site.

[digitalnalogika]

Oh so that's what happened to the Instagram account I created for one of my apps. It was completely gone without trace while I was on vacation, didn't even use it actively.

[antpls]

Same for me recently. Now that Instagram IS Facebook, maybe Facebook doesn't make a difference between fake Instagram accounts and fake Facebook accounts in the report ?

I have both fake Facebook accounts and Instagram accounts (like 3 or 5), and Instagram deactivated a recent account I created for "suspicious activities". I only liked one picture of an actual person and sent one private message with that account... Meanwhile, my other 4 Instagram accounts and Facebook accounts are fine, even if I sent and liked total garbage

[Scoundreller]

If this happens to my FirstName+LastName accounts I’ve staked out, I’ll be pissed.

My guess is that they label every account with a lifetime customer value number, and if the costs of your database entry is more than that, they cull it for “being a bot”.

[panarky]

Bots wouldn't exist if they didn't generate engagement, and engagement is the currency of Facebook.

So if the bot-detection algorithm works by lifetime customer value, it would cull real accounts and leave the bots alone.

[derefr]

Use the opposite algorithm: cull by lifetime value descending. Gets the bots and the viral celebrities!

(I know it's untenable, but I'd honestly love to see what the equivalent of https://millionshort.com/ for Twitter or YouTube would be like, where the top million contributors and all shares/comments about them were hidden. What would be "hot"? High-value niche-interest stuff?)

[oh_sigh]

I have hundreds of fake facebook profiles, because back in ~2005 or so when my university got facebook, I realized that our email accounts received all mail going to not only [e-mail] but also myaccount@*.myschool.edu. Facebook, on the other hand, only confirmed if you were allowed to register based on suffix matching(it was limited to certain schools at that time), but otherwise treated your full email address as your ID. If bug bounties existed back then I would have certainly turned it in, but instead I just used it as a tool to entertain friends by posting comments as other people. Most of those accounts are based on memes from back then, or minor celebrity musicians myself and my friends were in to, but to this day, every account I try still works.

[Scoundreller]

I’ve heard there’s some extra value for EBay accounts before a certain year.

Probably because they just didn’t collect/verify enough data back then to be confident enough to make a decision.

[jaabe]

My cat still has her account. Granted, she’s not posting political bullshit or trolling. In fact she hasn’t even logged in for something like five years, but she obviously didn’t setup the account herself.

[js2]

I’d ask my dog to friend her but my dog doesn’t like cats very much.

[Scoundreller]

Dunno about yours, but my cat has been known to spend all day on the keyboard and drain my laptop’s battery while I’m away for the day.

[dahfizz]

Why would Facebook care if you haven't posted or even logged in for so long?