The META group (ex Facebook) announced that it is expanding the program Facebook protection, a security initiative designed to protect the most vulnerable users from cyberattacks by hackers.
The program already covers Portugal and some users are receiving an “ultimatum” from the social network.
In fact, if they received the notice when opening the app or Facebook page, they have 15 days from now to activate two-factor authentication protection. Otherwise, the user account will be blocked as directed by the company.
Facebook Protect arrives in Portugal and begins to notify some users
The warning is simple “Activate Facebook Protect until December 18, 2021. After that date, we will block your Facebook account until you do.” This notice, without possibility of recourse, has begun to be presented to some 4gnews editors during the last hours. For the company, therefore, there are some accounts that need an additional level of security.
The initiative was detailed first by the Meta group, and people who may qualify for the program will be notified by Facebook. So if you haven’t received the warning by now, you won’t have to worry, at least for now.
That said, it is important to demystify the “ultimatum.” This obligation will not be imposed on all users, the premise that (we all) have 15 days to activate Facebook Protect or the account will be blocked is false.
We emphasize again that this is only valid for those who actually received the notice.
The protection obligation covers only selected Facebook users
Protection consists of activating the two-factor authentication (2FA) mechanism. For this, it is necessary, for example, to use the telephone number to receive the authentication key when logging in to the social network.
Created in 2018 and first implemented during the 2020 U.S. elections, this initiative is now reaching a broader scope. Ultimately, it seeks to protect more far-reaching accounts, such as those of journalists and other influential profiles from cyberattacks / hackers.
Therefore, If you have received this notice, you have 15 days to activate Facebook Protect., a succinct procedure. However, if you haven’t been warned, there is no reason to worry.