Facebook's instagram starts deleting spam and verifying accounts

Instagram, the photo-sharing mobile application owned by Facebook Inc., is going to start permanently deleting fake and spam accounts while also verifying the accounts of public figures and brands.

The company now has 300 million monthly active users -- not counting the spammers -- and is starting to take its relationships with advertisers more seriously.

It's been about a year since Instagram started making advertising available. Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has been focused on increasing the number of users of the company's separate mobile apps, including Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, before implementing new ways to drive revenue.

When accounts for public figures on Instagram are "verified," they will receive a badge for their authenticity, much like how they do on Twitter Inc. and Facebook.

Instagram says that on average its users share 70 million photos per day. About 70 percent of its users are outside the U.S., Instagram said in a statement today.