Facebook 'like' does not always tell the truth

After investigating whether the advertising money gains sufficient return from Facebook users, BBC reported Thursday that "firms are wasting money to gain 'likes' from fake profiles and users who have no interest in their products".

BBC investigation also found that many account holders who click on the links connected to its advertisement have lied about their personal details. Problems with fake users of Facebook had been largely known by advertisers long time ago. They are concerned about the number of real users' interaction with their advertisement campaign. There is spamming software that mass-produces fake profiles, fooling people to make friends with them. "An experiment by the BBC appears to have confirmed this was not a one-off issue. The BBC created a Facebook page for VirtualBagel - a made-up company with no products. The number of 'likes' it attracted from Egypt and the Philippines was out of proportion to other countries targeted such as the US and UK. One Cairo-based fan called himself Ahmed Ronaldo and claimed to work at Real Madrid" - BBC.. For online advertising companies, this problem leads to payment disputes if their clients refuse to pay because the products do not touch real people. Business Insider launched an opinion poll and concluded that only 13 percent of respondents trust Facebook "completely" or "a lot" when it comes to keeping their personal information private. A majority, or 59 percent, said they trust Facebook "only a little," or "not at all." Some companies had managed to increase engagement with customers via the social network without buying adverts. They believe the fans coming from advertising may not be genuine; even if they are real it doesn't necessarily mean they will engage with the brand. General Motors had decided to stop advertising with Facebook after knowing that paid ads on the site have little impact on consumers' car purchases.