If you’re wondering why you can’t access your account today, it’s probably because you haven’t activated Facebook Protect in your account yet. In early March, Facebook began sending an email titled “Your account requires advanced security from Facebook Protect” to select users, urging them to enable Facebook Protect in their accounts by a specific date or else they are at risk of being locked out of their accounts. Also Read – Australia Sues Facebook Owner Meta Over Cryptocurrency Fraud
The Verge notes that the email came from the address – security@facebookmail.com – which resembles a common form of spam mail and was therefore ignored by many users. As it turned out, the email wasn’t spam. It was Facebook trying to contact the high-risk users to protect their accounts until March 17th to protect themselves from being locked out of their accounts. Now, those people who didn’t turn on Facebook Protect before the deadline are getting messages about why they can’t access their accounts and what they need to do next. Also Read – Meta Removes Deepfake Video Of Ukrainian President Zelensky: What Are Deepfakes, What Are They Used For?
However, things are not that simple. There have been reports on Twitter that Facebook users who have been banned from their accounts have been banned before the deadline despite enabling the feature. Also Read – Judge, Jury, Executioner: Facebook Tries to Be Everything, But Why?
I was banned from Facebook indefinitely today for not responding to emails from FB (which looked like a scam) about their new Facebook Protect system, which I had to activate until today. So far, the text and security key options are not working, many are reporting. pic.twitter.com/0aXbiqzLv7
— Liv. (@Olivia_Thiessen) March 18, 2022
Some users have also reported technical issues retrieving their text-based two-factor authentication codes on their phones.
Anyone else having major issues with Facebook Protect? Completely banned from my account. Then glitches and technical problems occur when you try to fix the problem 😑😑😑😑
— Simone DeAlba (@Simone_DeAlba) March 18, 2022
Notably, Meta announced back in December last year that it would soon require its highest-risk users to protect their accounts with two-factor authentication. At the time, the company said its high-risk users, which include select journalists, human rights activists, government officials and other users who could be targeted by cybercriminals, enabled a feature called Facebook Protect on their profiles.
If you haven’t activated Facebook Protect in your account yet, here are step-by-step instructions on what to do:
How to enable Facebook Protect on your account
Step 1: On Facebook, click the down arrow on the top right corner.
Step 2: Click Settings & Privacy and then click Settings.
Step 3: Click on Security and Login.
Step 4: Under Facebook Protect, click Get Started.
Step 5: On the welcome screen, click Next.
Step 6: On the Facebook Protect benefits screen, click Next.
Step 7: After that, Facebook will scan your account for potential vulnerabilities and make suggestions on what can be fixed if you enable Facebook Protect.
Step 8: Click Fix Now and follow the on-screen instructions to finish enabling Facebook Protect.
