How Facebook Killed (Most) Spam Using Smart Filters
Specifically, the system tracks whether recipients hide certain messages or mark them as spam, or whether they click “Like” on the message or comment on it, or whether they actually click through to see the application itself. “Using a bunch of signals like that, we’re able to infer the likelihood that something is a high-quality message,” Taylor said. Or, alternatively, if it is low quality.
If too many recipients hide a message or mark it as spam, Facebook automatically starts blocking it. The application developer is notified—also through an automated system—and has to go back to the drawing board to develop something recipients respond to more favorably. And if an application sends nothing but low-quality messages, Taylor said the system simply turns the application off altogether.
