Washington: Social media giant Facebook said it will start allowing users to prepare physical safety keys as a way to confirm their identity before logging into the social network’s mobile app, beginning next year.
According to Mashable, the Mark Zuckerberg-owned company is now offering a choice to use a hardware security key to connect to one’s desktop computer prior to each log-in. The users could purchase a hardware key through retailers, and register with Facebook, the social media giant said, confirming an earlier report by Axios.
The world’s biggest social network said it also intends to enlarge ‘Facebook Protect’, that is, its own security program for high-profile accounts for example election applicants, to more kinds of accounts globally next year.
Presently available in the US, Facebook Protect offers a means for politicians, government agencies, and election personnel to set up additional safety provisions such as two-factor authentication and real-time tracking for potential hacking threats.
“Bad actors are trying to target the social media assets of prominent voices. Just because you’re not a CEO or a political candidate doesn’t mean you’re not a prominent person in your field and a target,” said Facebook’s head of security policy Nathaniel Gleicher, while speaking to Axios- reported Mashable.
“Our thesis is that you have to protect accounts because every compromised asset can become a tool that is used by bad actors for greater harm – much greater – afterwards, in addition to causing immediate harm to people,” he added in his statement.
