Fake Profile Detection on Social Networks—A Survey

Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and many others have seamlessly integrated into our daily lives, becoming an integral part of our global communication landscape. With active users from all corners of the world, these platforms offer unprecedented opportunities for connection and sharing. However, the flip side of this interconnected digital world is the persistent challenge of fake profiles. Fake profiles, whether they are human-generated, created by bots, or even cyborg accounts, pose a significant threat to the integrity and security of social media. These deceptive profiles are often used with malicious intent, serving as conduits for spreading misinformation, engaging in phishing attacks, perpetrating data breaches, and orchestrating identity theft. This paper not only covers the technical implementation but also dives into the selection of significant features that play a pivotal role in assessing the authenticity of social media profiles. The paper provides insights into different ways that have been used previously to create a model. This study presents a survey of the existing and latest technical work on fake profile detection.