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LinkedIn cracks down harder on fake engagement and AI slop

In its new DSA report, LinkedIn discloses significantly more measures against inauthentic activity. At the same time, the number of active EU users is growing only moderately.

From Social Rocket editorial team

This text was created with AI assistance and reviewed editorially before publication. All sources are linked below.

Person working on a laptop as a stock image for LinkedIn and professional networks
Photo: Burst / Unsplash

LinkedIn has significantly expanded its measures against inauthentic activity, automated comments and AI-generated engagement in the first half of 2026. According to the new EU transparency report, the detected cases of inauthentic activity rose by 46 percent compared with the second half of 2025.

At the same time, the number of active LinkedIn users in the EU grew only moderately: by around 1,4 million to 56,5 million monthly active users.

LinkedIn tightens the fight against engagement pods and automation

LinkedIn has been working against engagement pods and external tools that post or comment automatically for some time. The platform is increasingly also treating mass-generated AI comments and profiles as a quality problem when they add no real value to discussions.

The new DSA report now shows that this enforcement has increased significantly. For creators, company pages and social media teams, this means that tactics relying on artificially generated interactions or automated comments are becoming riskier.

This does not only apply to obvious spam. Even seemingly harmless AI comments can become problematic if they are posted systematically and without genuine context.

56,5 million active LinkedIn users in the EU

For the first half of 2026, LinkedIn reports 56,5 million active users in the EU. That is roughly 1,4 million more than in the previous half-year.

What is interesting is the difference between active users and the much larger membership figures that LinkedIn frequently promotes publicly. According to Social Media Today, active users still make up only around 30 percent of the total EU membership base.

For marketers, the actually active reach is therefore more important than the raw number of registered accounts. A similar gap between public platform communication and regulatory usage data can also be seen on other networks.

TikTok, for example, currently reports 189 million monthly active users in the EU. For X too, the DSA reports provide a far more reliable view of actual usage than general reach claims.

What this means for LinkedIn marketing

For organic LinkedIn marketing, the trend is clear: genuine interaction is becoming more important, artificial engagement riskier. Anyone who wants to build reach through repeated generic comments, engagement groups or automated interactions should expect stronger restrictions.

For brands and creators, this is also an opportunity. If LinkedIn reduces spam and AI slop more consistently, high-quality expert posts and real discussions can gain relatively more visibility.

Anyone using LinkedIn for branded content should also be aware of the existing transparency features. LinkedIn already offers a search for labelled brand content, which likewise emerged in the context of European transparency obligations.

The development also fits the broader trend of platforms taking firmer action against artificial and unlabelled content. Instagram, for example, now labels AI profiles more clearly and limits their reach.

Sources