On May 6, 2026, Instagram initiated a large-scale operation named “Great Purge of 2026” that aimed to eliminate millions of bots, spam, and inactive accounts. Meta implemented the simultaneous removal of over 50 million fake and inactive profiles across its platform. This purge is part of a strategy to combat coordinated inauthentic behavior and promote original content.
An Instagram representative confirmed that the updates in follower counts resulted from routine checks and removal of inactive accounts, leaving active followers unaffected. However, platform users noticed significant reductions in follower numbers among top global celebrities.
The largest losses in follower numbers were recorded among these individuals:
– Cristiano Ronaldo: 6.6 million
– Kylie Jenner: 5.1 million
– Ariana Grande: 5.6 million
– Selena Gomez: 5.5 million
– BLACKPINK: approximately 0.6 to 10 million (various estimates)
– Kim Kardashian: 5.1 million
– Dwayne Johnson: 4.9 million
– Lionel Messi: 4.8 million
– Beyoncé: 4.4 million
– Justin Bieber: 4.3 million
– Taylor Swift: 4.2 million
– Kendall Jenner: 3.7 million
– Jennifer Lopez: 3.4 million
– Miley Cyrus: 3.2 million
– Katy Perry: 3 million
– Kevin Hart: 2.6 million
– Rihanna: 2.1 million
– Zendaya: 2 million
– Drake: 1.9 million
– LeBron James: 1.9 million
– Cardi B: 1.7 million
– David Beckham: 1.2 million
This initiative has also sparked debate over the authenticity of social media popularity metrics and their influence on public figures’ real-world impact. During the same period, an AI-based age verification system was introduced.
Earlier, the European Commission found that Meta violated provisions of the Digital Services Act due to insufficient measures to restrict child access to its social services. The company also faced additional scrutiny over allegations of monopolistic practices in its WhatsApp messenger. Concurrently, Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is working on developing an AI-driven autonomous business management agent.
Lawsuits against Meta and Google related to user addiction concerns are ongoing, underscoring the current emphasis on regulatory responsibility for major tech corporations.