San Francisco, California – Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) is currently testing a new tool that will automatically alert users when someone else is using their profile information like photo or name in a fake account.
The new tool sends an automatic alert to the real user accounts as soon as an imposter activity is detected. Upon receiving the alert, the real user can flag the fake profile as an impersonation. In addition, the user can also request Facebook for the deletion of the fake profile by notifying the company’s security team. Even though the process is entirely automated, the impersonated accounts will be first flagged manually by Facebook employees.
According to Facebook’s Head of Global Safety, Antigone Davis, the social network first began testing this feature in November last year and it is currently available in 75% of the world, and it will be available to everybody soon.
Safety concerns
This new tool comes as a respond against the risk women users on Facebook can potentially face from imposters who create fake accounts for harassment purposes.
“We heard feedback prior to the roundtable and also at the roundtables that this was a point of concern for women,” Davis told Mashable. “And it’s a real point of concern for some women in certain regions of the world where it may have certain cultural or social ramifications.” He added.
Even though the feature emerged out of a societal concern of safety for women, it is also helpful among those who have been regularly impersonated due to their high profile visibility in certain circles.
Additional safety features
Facebook will also include two additional safety features to work against safety concerns. One of them will help eliminate intimate images posted without permission. Victims of abuse, in particular, can identify themselves as subjects in images that may have been posted on Facebook without consent, giving them access as well to support groups and potential legal aid.
The second safety feature is a photo checkup tool that will explain users how to use privacy settings. This way those posting their images know who is actually seeing them. While this security is already in place on photos, not everyone is familiar with them and the walk-through checkup tool will give users the ability more tightly control their photo privacy settings.
Source: PC Magazine