New Delhi, May 8 -- Instagram users across the world woke up on May 6 to sharply reduced follower counts after parent company Meta launched what is being described as one of the platform's largest crackdowns on fake and inactive accounts in recent years.

The large-scale cleanup triggered sudden losses in followers for celebrities, influencers, brands and ordinary creators alike. Many users initially believed the drops were caused by a technical glitch before reports emerged that Instagram had removed millions of suspected bot and inactive profiles as part of a broader authenticity drive.

Several high-profile global figures were among the biggest names impacted by the purge.

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