In early March, many Facebook users got a mysterious, spam-like email titled “Your account requires advanced security from Facebook Protect” and telling them that they were required to turn on the Facebook Protect feature (which they could do by hitting a link in the email) by a certain date, or they would be locked out of their account.
The program, according to Facebook, is a “security program for groups of people that are more likely to be targeted by malicious hackers, such as human rights defenders, journalists, and government officials.” It’s meant to do things like ensuring those accounts are monitored for hacking threats and that they are protected by two-factor authentication (2FA).
Unfortunately, the email that Facebook sent from the address [email protected] resembled a rather common form of spam, and so it’s probable that many people ignored it.
Those who did not activate Facebook Protect before their deadline is apparently getting a message explaining why they can’t get into their accounts and offering to help them turn it on. However, it’s not always working:
I got locked out from Facebook indefinitely today because I didn’t respond to emails from FB (that looked like a scam) about its new Facebook Protect system, which I was required to enable by today. So far, the text and security key options don’t work, many report. pic.twitter.com/0aXbiqzLv7
— Liv. (@Olivia_Thiessen) March 18, 2022
We will update this article after we got any suggestions from Facebook for those who are locked out because their Facebook Protected accounts can’t be accessed.
