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| Facebook users complain about security features |
In early March, a group of Facebook users received an unsolicited email with the title "Your account requires advanced security from Facebook Protect".
The email reads: This is a reminder to activate Facebook Protect before March 17, 2022. You will then be denied access to your account until you activate it.
The email prompts users to open Facebook Protect by clicking a link in the email.
Meta announced in December that it had begun requiring high-risk users to protect their accounts using two-factor authentication. By the end of this year, the program will be expanded to more than 50 countries.
For example, it should ensure that these accounts are monitored for hacker threats and protected by two-factor authentication (2FA).
According to the company, Facebook Protect is a security program that targets people who could be targeted by malicious hackers, such as human rights defenders, journalists and government officials. As of December, Facebook Protect is enabled for approximately 1.5 million accounts.
The email the company sends from security@facebookmail.com looks like a fairly common form of spam, that many people can ignore.
But the email is real. The earliest date for many is Thursday, March 17th.
The notice reads: Turn on Facebook Protect to unlock your account. Account closed on March 17, 2022. We have taken this precautionary measure to ensure the security of your account and to allow you to enable additional security measures.
Facebook closes the accounts of people who have not activated protection
People are now prevented from accessing their accounts through the platform and they have had issues with the process put in place by the company to get their accounts back.
It appears that those who haven't activated Facebook Protect before the deadline will receive a message explaining why they can't access their account and offer to help turn Facebook Protect on for help.
There have also been various complaints on Twitter and other social networks that people are being denied access to their accounts even though they have the data. Some say text-based two-factor authentication (2FA) doesn't work.
Others complained that they couldn't even complete the activation process before the deadline and were actually banned from their account.