Safety features are more important now since many people use Facebook for professional and business purposes. However, impersonators are still a big threat for Facebook users. Impersonators can use someone’s genuine public profile for their own gains, from stealing money and personal information to defaming certain person or business. Many impersonators have been so good that other people fell into their traps easily, even mistaking them with the actual person.

Luckily, Facebook has stepped up to protect your identity. The company has been starting to test new feature that will protect your Facebook profile from impersonators.

Facebook Impersonator Alert to Protect Privacy

Privacy and fraud have been two of the biggest concerns among Facebook users. Aside from identity stealing and business fraud, Facebook users must also deal with risks of online harassment and revenge por*, which mostly affect women. The new impersonator alert feature was designed to target all those problems, alerting you about impersonator and possibilities that your photos have been used as tool for revenge por* or online humiliation.

Facebook’s new impersonator alert aims to achieve several goals related to better security and privacy aspects, such as:

Warning you about profile that is identical with yours, with the same photos and information that is likely to be an impostor.

Automatically shutting down a profile that mimics yours and is likely to be a duplicate account. This way, user does not have to notice the report and make report to take down the duplicate profile.

Telling you about profile that is likely to be a tool for revenge por* (analyzing your pictures, personal information, and other aspects that mimic or are similar with your actual account). This way, you do not have to make report, and the damage will be minimum.

The feature is currently being tested in the profiles of 75% Facebook users around the world, and if the result is good, Facebook plans to launch the full feature as soon as possible. The company hopes to reduce the numbers of safety and privacy issues by impostors, hackers, sex offenders, and criminals.

Why Facebook Impersonator Alert is Important

Knowing that an impostor mimics our profile is shocking and deterring, but the problems are more than just mere inconvenience. If you have business or are a professional in certain field, these impostors can ruin your life by tarnishing your image online. Libel and theft by impostors can also create damaged reputation, especially since viral images or videos can be spread faster than truth or confirmation. The new impostor alert feature will immediately shut down the mimicking Facebook profile without you having to report it.

Before the new safety feature idea was concocted, you must notice the impostor first before sending report to Facebook. Afterward, you must wait for Facebook to check on your report. By the time your report is reviewed, there might have been countless damage done by the impostor. Whatever your goals are in using social media, this new Facebook feature will help you facing privacy and security issues better.