The social media platform is testing a new feature that will share additional information for messages coming in from unknown contacts - such as account creation date, or the associated phone number used to log in among other things
Facebook is testing a new feature that will help identify malicious accounts that may be sending unwarranted direct messages to a user on the Messenger platform.
A report from Motherboard suggests that the new feature will also share additional information for messages coming from unknown contacts. Details such as the associated phone number, account creation date, will be made available to the receivers of messages sent by unknown users.
The feature is meant to put a stop on unsolicited messages coming in from accounts that use misleading identities, the report says. The feature is also an effort to combat the scams being executed in the disguise of fake user accounts, collecting false information or seeking confidential data from Facebook users.
As per the report, the user who receives the message will also get to know whether its a fake account.
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The Cambridge Analytica scandal has put Facebook in the middle of many storms, and the social networking website has been since making significant announcements and changes to the platform, in a bid to reassure their users that using Facebook is safe and secure.
While fighting privacy concerns, the social networking giant is also busy suspending accounts linked to Internet Research Agency, a Russian-based company famous for spreading fake news using Facebook.
The social media-giant has confirmed in the report that it is indeed testing this new feature. Facebook’s Messenger team said, “We are testing a way to provide people with more context on folks they may not have connected with previously.”