Facebook is working on new features that will protect journalists from cyber attacks in different countries within and outside Africa. Some of the African countries include South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya and other countries. This effort by Facebook to protect journalists is to ensure their safety on the popular messaging app since they are vulnerable to online attacks.
Journalism remains a dangerous profession on and off the internet as journalists strive to get to the sources of this information however dangerous it is so they can present the facts. It however tends to comes at a cost for many and online spaces have grown equally unsafe over the years.
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New features by Facebook to protect journalists against harassment and other threats
Facebook has encouraged journalists that use the platform to register so they can receive these new features. Any journalist working in an editorial capacity for a news publisher that is registered in the news page index can register using their personal Facebook account.
The registration process can be terminated at any time that Facebook chooses. With this new directive that the company is taking, journalists will receive features that will keep them safe from threats like harassment, hacking and other unusual account activity, and other issues journalists face online.
The company is also working on creating new features that will provide registered journalists with news-specific products and features built specifically for editorial tasks that will make their job much easier.
According to Tech cabal, Facebook is also offering registered journalists the option to extend these protections to their linked Instagram accounts as well as access to CrowdTangle Search and the ability to apply for Facebook’s Blue Badge Verification.
In addition to the security of journalists’ safety, the company also provides Facebook Secure, which offers equal protection to political parties, government officials, federal and state departments and agencies, and party committees as well as their personnel for those associated with the blue badge-verified page.
Journalists being known as trusted sources by the public when it comes to providing information makes them very vulnerable to online threats especially hacks by malicious people who wish to manipulate the masses. Some people use the journalists’ accounts to spread wrong information or find out what the journalists know and stop them from sharing such information.
In times of political tension, it is common for some journalists to be hacked or harassed by internet users or the states they are living in. This is why the initiative by Facebook to protect journalists is very important.
The countries outside Africa that will be receiving these features by Facebook to protect journalists are the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, France.
The registration is however only available to those living in the United States, Brazil and Mexico as the company works on security features for other countries that have been listed. It’s not yet certain when the safety features will be unveiled in the listed countries as yet.