Meta (formerly Facebook) announced today that it has registered more than 1,5 million users in Facebook Protect, a security program designed for human rights activists, journalists and government officials.
Facebook Protect was first tested in 2018 and officially launched ahead of the 2020 US election. The program works by activating stronger controlaccount security for sensitive Facebook accounts and pages.
Users who sign up for the program are typically asked to enable two-factor authentication on their accounts, who also receive special monitoring for hacking threats and high priority in customer support should they need to regain access to their profiles after some infringement.
Today, Facebook reported that it began expanding the program this September, when it began asking users and organizations to participate.
"Since then, more than 1,5 million accounts have enabled Facebook Protect, and of those, nearly 950.000 accounts signed up recently two-factor authentication," Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's Chief Security Policy Officer, said today.
The Facebook executive stated that the company will ask more eligible users to sign up for Facebook Protect in the coming months. Those asked to participate will see a pop-up window at application them and no special action will be required, such as providing documents or additional proof, other than pressing a button to register.
"We are well on our way to expanding the program to more than 50 countries by the end of the year," Gleicher said.