Facebook bans users from accessing their accounts for not activating an “advanced protection system”

On Mar 21, 2022

Some users of the “Facebook” social networking site were surprised to be banned from accessing their accounts, because they ignored an email from “Meta” asking them to activate an advanced protection system.

Early this month, a group of Facebook users received a mysterious, spam-like email with the title “Your account requires Facebook Protect advanced security” and telling them they were required to turn on Facebook Protect (by clicking on a link in The email includes instructions to follow) before a certain date of March 17, or they will be banned from their account, according to The Verge.
Facebook Protect is “a security program intended for groups of people who are likely to be targeted by malicious hackers, such as human rights defenders, journalists and government officials,” according to a statement on Facebook.

The advanced security system is supposed to do things like make sure that these accounts are monitored for potential hacking threats, and that they are protected by “two-factor authentication.”

But on Twitter and other social networks, complaints were spread from users that Facebook banned them from accessing their accounts, even if they had the required guarantees, and some of them claim that “second authentication” does not work.

Dear @FacebookApp: Your new Facebook Protect, which I didn’t ask for, keeps texting me an identical two-factor verification code, which continues to not work. I’m now effectively locked out of my account. This is heightened security? Guess I’ll spend more time on Twitter… @Meta

— Mike Morrell (@RealMikeMorrell) March 18, 2022

https://twitter.com/itzzdaniela/status/1504215679167172608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1504215679167172608%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Farabic.sputniknews.com%2F20220321%2FD981D98AD8B3D8A8D988D983-D98AD8ADD8B8D8B1-D985D8B3D8AAD8AED8AFD985D98AD986-D985D986-D8A7D984D8AFD8AED988D984-D8A5D984D989-D8ADD8B3D8A7D8A8D8A7D8AAD987D985-D984D8B9D8AFD985-D8AAD986D8B4D98AD8B7D987D985-D986D8B8D8A7D985-D8ADD985D8A7D98AD8A9-D985D8AAD982D8AFD985-1060253375.html

Other users also complained that they could not pass the APS activation process even before the deadline, and were thus effectively banned from their accounts.

Facebook bans users from accessing their accounts for not activating an “advanced protection system”

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