Facebook users could soon lose access to their accounts if they fail to activate a forthcoming security feature, the Daily Star reports. Meta, the company behind the social media platform, has begun the process of emailing users to advise them to enable Facebook Protect.
But despite the phishing-like appearance of the email, the company has assured users it is genuine rather than a scam.
Facebook Protect offers an extra layer of security for accounts that the company believes are at high risk of hacking attempts. The feature was originally created to help political candidates and officials stay safe from hacking and misinformation, but such was its success it will now be rolled out to the wider Facebook community.
Facebook Protect helps users set up two-factor authentication so any login attempts will have to be verified through phones or other devices, and it allows for easier monitoring of hack attempts.
The email tells users that their accounts require "advanced security". It says: "Your account has the potential to reach a lot more people than an average Facebook user. Hackers are often motivated to attack accounts that have a lot of followers, run important Pages, or hold some community significance."
It then warns users that if they don't turn on Facebook Protect for their accounts, they will be locked out of Facebook until they enable it.
How do I set up Facebook Protect?
To activate Facebook Protect, you just need to click the link in the email you were sent and follow the instructions. If you're still a bit suspicious of the email, you can simply log into your Facebook account and activate Protect via the settings.
Go to Settings > Security and Login > Facebook Protect is off on the web. The app will check through your account for any vulnerabilities and then give you the option to activate an authentication method.
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