Foursquare Puts The Kibosh On Friend-Tip Spamming

In an apparent effort to cut down on spam, Foursquare has started limiting the number of friends and friend requests that a user can have.

The About Foursquare blog explains that some companies have friended tens of thousands of Foursquare users so that, when those users check-in somewhere, the companies’ tips appear more often. In other words, a lot of tips and a lot of friends checking in equals a lot of Foursquare exposure.

But that won’t be as easy to do going forward. A Foursquare spokesperson confirmed the friend limit to About Foursquare, but what the limit is remains a mystery. The company spokesperson only said, “We’re still figuring out what the appropriate limits are and will continue to adjust the numbers based on usage and user feedback.”

Companies that have already built up a huge friend base can continue taking advantage of the tip system, though. It doesn’t appear that Foursquare is automatically culling any user’s friend list.