Photo sharing app deletes fake and spammy accounts

Having reached a milestone of 300 million active monthly users, Instagram is taking a step further in its privacy settings by getting rid of 'fake and spammy accounts'.

Instagram CEO, Kevin Systrom made the announcement about the deletion of fake accounts in a blog post:

"Today, we're excited to announce verified badges for celebrities, athletes and brands, making it easier for you to connect with the authentic accounts you're looking for. These badges will start rolling out over the coming days.

Finally, as more people join, keeping Instagram authentic is critical — it's a place where real people share real moments. We're committed to doing everything possible to keep Instagram free from the fake and spammy accounts that plague much of the web, and that's why we're finishing up some important work that began earlier this year.

We've been deactivating spammy accounts from Instagram on an ongoing basis to improve your experience. As part of this effort, we will be deleting these accounts forever, so they will no longer be included in follower counts. This means that some of you will see a change in your follower count.

Most of you won't see any impact. If you're one of those who will see a correction, you will receive a notification in the app directing you to additional information.

Thank you for your passion, creativity and support over these past four years. We can't wait to see what you do next."

Already, some users have reported a visible decrease in the number of followers of some celebrities and public figures.

The Facebook-owned photo sharing app also recently added five new photo filters after 2 years.