Facebook Security: 4 Steps to Follow to Lock FB Profile and Prevent Hacking, Manipulation

Facebook and Twitter have once again made the one-tap lock feature available on their respective platforms due to the security threats as a result of the Russian-Ukraine conflict.

Users in Ukraine who are concerned about their privacy and security as a result of the ongoing conflict with Russia can now use Facebook's profile lock feature. One's profile will remain locked until the user chooses to manually unlock it once more.

According to Twitter's corporate account as well as Facebook's director of threat intelligence, the recommendations varied from what to do if your account has been compromised to preemptively closing an account due to safety concerns.

In August 2021, this profile lock feature was enabled for Facebook users located in Afghanistan who have proven threats to their security and safety.

The feature is designed for users to be able to protect and limit their activities, preventing them from exposing themselves to further threat.

Locking Facebook Profile

In a thread of tweets by Facebook Head of Security Policy Nathaniel Gleicher, the new safety feature was announced by the social media giant. As reported by Slash Gear, Gleicher also addressed that this is the same locking feature that the company implemented during the unrest in Afghanistan last year.

He explained that Facebook has now established a Special Operations Center that will be able to respond in real time to the ongoing situation in the European country. In order to closely monitor the situation and respond as quickly as possible, the team is staffed with experts and includes native speakers.

This branch of Meta was created as a direct response of the company to the escalating military conflict in Ukraine.

Gleicher started the thread by stating that the company took steps to assist people in the region so that they are able to protect themselves online.

How to Lock a Facebook Profile

The one-click security feature that Facebook is rolling out will allow users in Ukraine to lock down their accounts by quickly applying existing privacy settings and adding new features to their accounts.

Other people cannot view or download their profile photo or see any of the posts on their timeline when their profile is locked. This also includes people who are not friends of the users on the platform for security purposes.

According to the tweet, here is how simple it is to lock a user's profile:

1. A user must go to their Facebook profile.
2. On mobile, select the three dots below the profile picture.
3. In the toggled section, click Lock Profile.
4. Then tap the Lock Profile again to confirm

How to Unlock Facebook Profile?

Facebook also provides users with the option of unlocking their profile at any time.

Here are the recommended steps to unlock Facebook profile:

1. Go to the Facebook application on your mobile device or facebook.com on your desktop browser to start the process
2. Go to your Profile section and select the three-dot menu from the drop-down menu.
3. You will find the Unlock Profile option in this menu. You will see a pop-up message if you click on it again. Select Unlock Profile from the drop-down menu.

Twitter Safety in War

In addition to Facebook, Twitter also encouraged its users to secure themselves on their platform to prevent possible security threats.

The platform has urged users to be cautious about how they use the internet because they are at greater risk with the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

In order to avoid manipulation, people in Ukraine are being encouraged to protect their accounts and various methods of doing so have already been listed. It provided tips and guides on "how to control your account and digital information," with the first recommendation being to simply deactivate their accounts if users feel it is no longer safe to use them.