Facebook Messenger Rolls Out Safety Alerts To Detect Scams, Protect Minors

Facebook Inc. (FB) is adding new safety alerts to its Messenger platform to accelerate user security in a move which is aimed at detecting scams and protecting minors from adult abuse.

The social media network asserts that the new safety feature will “help millions of people avoid potentially harmful interactions and possible scams without compromising their privacy”.

Messenger users will see safety notices pop up in a chat that will provide tips to help people spot suspicious activity and take action to block or ignore someone when something doesn’t seem proper.

In March, Facebook started to roll the feature out on Android and will launch it on iPhones this week.

“As we move to end-to-end encryption, we are investing in privacy-preserving tools like this to keep people safe without accessing message content,” Facebook said in a statement. “We developed these safety tips with machine learning that looks at behavioral signals like an adult sending a large amount of friend or message requests to people under 18.”

The new feature also aims to educate users under the age of 18 to be cautious when interacting with an adult they may not know and encourage them to take action before responding to a message.

Shares in Facebook rose 1.5% to $234.91 at the close on Friday extending its rally to a staggering 60% since mid-March.

In light of the recent rally, the $240.43 average price target by analysts implies limited upside of 2.4% in the coming 12 months. (See Facebook stock analysis on TipRanks).

TipRanks data shows that overall Wall Street analysts have a bullish call on Facebook shares. A stellar 33 out of 36 analysts have a Buy rating on the stock with the rest keeping a Hold rating for now. 

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