Facebook increases security on Messenger

May 23, 2020

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Mark Zuckerberg’s company said on Thursday that its application is now capable of discreetly tracking down scammers. For this, she will use the communication system of smartphones in the background.

(AFP) – Security messages will now appear in Messenger exchanges if behind-the-scenes activity is deemed suspicious. It is up to Facebook’s artificial intelligence technology to set off this alarm. This new feature “will help millions of people potentially avoid dangerous interactions and scams, without compromising their privacy,” said Jay Sullivan, a product safety officer at Facebook.

This security was already deployed in March on phones operated by Android (Google) and will be this week on the iPhone (Apple). “Too often people chat with someone online that they think they know, when they are an impostor,” said Jay Sullivan. “These false accounts are difficult to identify and the consequences can be expensive.”

The firm paid hundreds of subcontractors to transcribe audio extracts from conversations of certain Messenger users. An action allowing it to better calibrate its advertisements or information pages.

Artificial intelligence identifies questionable behavior, such as sending large-scale messages, targeting certain regions or demographics. This technology does not require examining the content of messages, ensures Facebook, which intends to switch to full encryption of Messenger, like its other WhatsApp messaging. “To prepare for end-to-end encryption, we are investing in tools like this one, which protect people’s privacy without reading messages,” said Sullivan.

Messenger already uses software capable of fighting spam and hindering adults’ attempts to contact minors they do not seem to know. With the coronavirus pandemic, Facebook has started to step up a gear on the implementation of new tools that strengthen its platforms, more used than ever thanks to containment.