Facebook Launches Security Checkup Tool

After targeting YouTube with the rollout of new video tools, Facebook is now focusing on the security of user accounts by introducing Security Checkup. The tool is meant to help users discover and utilise the security controls available to them.

As Facebook account security settings often stay buried under several security and privacy tabs of Facebook, away from general users' eyes, the Security Checkup tool is meant to help surface the options when required.

Facebook's Security Checkup puts users through three steps to secure their account. The first step would prompt users to log out of devices they have not used in a while, or may have forgotten about. The second step lets them turn on the Login Alerts feature, which would notify users whenever someone else tries to log in their account. The notifications would come as an email or a regular notification whenever a new device or browser is used to log in to Facebook. The third step would give some tips to users as to how they can create a stronger password.

"We recommend not using your Facebook password anywhere else online, never sharing it with anyone, and avoiding common words that may be easy to guess," says Melissa Luu-Van, Product Manager, Facebook on the company blog post.

Facebook has made the Security Checkup tool available globally for desktop and has promised to bring it to mobile versions soon. Users can start with the process right away from here. Also, people would start seeing the reminder for Security Checkup on top of the News Feed in a week's time. Clicking on 'Get Started' would prompt the three aforementioned steps.

The firm is also taking hints from LinkedIn by testing a similar profile tags feature. Users can either tag themselves, or friends can tag users.