Facebook Sues Chinese Firms Over Mass Fake Account Sales
Facebook files a federal lawsuit against four Chinese companies and three individuals for selling fake accounts and followers in bulk. The social network seeks $100,000 in damages per offending website.
Facebook takes legal action against a group of Chinese websites that sell fake accounts, likes, and followers for both Facebook and Instagram. The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of California, targets four Chinese companies and three individuals for operating sites that promote the sale of fake and inauthentic accounts since 2017. This legal move stands out because Facebook remains banned in China, adding a layer of complexity to the situation.
The social media giant accuses the defendants of trademark infringement, terms of service violations, and cybersquatting by using Facebook's name in their domain addresses. Facebook asks for $100,000 in damages for each of the six websites listed in the official court complaint. The sheer scale of the fraudulent activity likely prompts this aggressive legal response, as trademark disputes are otherwise common for the company.
At the time of reporting, the accused websites remain online and operational, which likely contributes to Facebook's decision to escalate the matter through the courts. Investigators find that users typically discover these sites, such as 9xiufacebook.com, by searching for phrases like "Facebook account purchase" on Chinese search engines. Beyond Facebook and Instagram, these same platforms also sell bulk accounts for other American tech companies, including Google and Twitter.