In a move to take security more seriously, Facebook has said it will introduce a new feature that warns users if they are being spied on by government agencies such as the US National Security Agency or British Government Communications Headquarters.
Chief security officer Alex Stamos wrote in a Facebook blog: “Starting today, we will notify you if we believe your account has been targeted or compromised by an attacker suspected of working on behalf of a nation-state.”
Facebook doesn’t specify how it identifies such perpetrators. Stamos said: “To protect the integrity of our methods and processes, we often won’t be able to explain how we attribute certain attacks to suspected attackers.” He added: “We plan to use this warning only in situations where the evidence strongly supports our conclusion.”
If users get the notification, the company recommends rebuilding or replacing systems infected by MALWARE. Additionally, turning on login approvals is a good practice to prevent individuals from logging into others’ accounts. Whenever accounts are accessed via new browsers or devices, Facebook will send codes to users’ phones.
It hopes the notification will help those who want to protect their data. It promises to constantlyenhance its capability to detect and prevent attacks.
The announcement comes at a time when Chinese President Xi Jinping told US President Barack Obama his country would not “knowingly support” cyber theft and promised to abide by “norms of behaviour” in cyberspace. Facebook’s new tool could cause some awkwardness if it starts pointing fingers at foreign governments.
