Instagram has been battling fake followers and bot accounts for a long time. This has invariably affected the users who gain followers via organic methods. Instagram’s new update looks at removing inauthentic activity such as too many likes, followers and comments from suspicious accounts. However, they will not suspend accounts outright but ask the user to secure the account first.

As Instagram is the biggest platform for influencer marketing and fake followers gained via third-party apps pose the biggest challenge, Instagram has a mammoth task ahead of itself.

For brands to invest in influencer marketing, where the number of followers determines the payment, fake followers will have to be eliminated.