Facebook’s new Security Checkup tool teaches you what you should already know

We want everyone to have a safe experience on Facebook. “That’s why we have dedicated teams and intelligent security systems working around the clock to help keep your account secure”, notes Melissa Luu-Van, Product Manager at Facebook.

Security Checkup will be available globally via the web channel first with a mobile version promised to follow soon.

Facebook announced the overall availability of its Security Checkup feature, which it has been testing on a limited userbase for a few months.

If you don’t do it manually, the company says the feature will show up as a reminder at the top of your News Feed over the next few weeks. The first step would prompt users to log out of devices they have not used in a while, or may have forgotten about. It can also be used to monitor logins and check for suspicious account activity, acting as a handy centralized hub for everything security-related.

After targeting YouTube with the rollout of new video tools, Facebook is now focusing on the security of user accounts by introducing Security Checkup. It lets users quickly evaluate their current security status and take appropriate action.

If you’d like to trigger a Security Checkup right away and you’re not seeing the warning popup, this can be done from a special page in the Facebook Help section. “You get to decide which features you want to use”.

Step two prompts the setting up of log-in alerts that send a notification every time Facebook receives a log-in request from an unknown device or browser.

After that, you can look at tips for keeping a strong/unique password, which the company recommends not using anywhere else online or sharing with anyone.

The final stage in the process will simply be about showing how to create a strong password – there won’t be anything Earth-shattering here, don’t use “Facebook” or “Password” as your passwords, okay?