Facebook now warns users of government-sponsored cyberattacks

It’s sad how much of a threat government-sponsored hacking has become, but that’s the world we live in, and at least there are companies and organizations out there that are doing something to combat these cyberattacks. Facebook is one such company, as it now has a new feature that alerts users whenever it believed that a government is targeting their account and trying to hack into it. 

As of last week, Facebook has a new feature: The social media giant now sends a notification to users when it believes a government has targeted their account. “We have always taken steps to secure accounts that we believe to have been compromised,” said the Friday evening announcement from Alex Stamos, Facebook’s chief security officer. The company decided to show an additional warning in instances of a government-sponsored attack “because these types of attacks tend to be more advanced and dangerous than others,” he said. Facebook did not respond to Newsweek’s request for comment. The announcement followed public criticism from former National Security Agency contractor turned leaker Edward Snowden. Speaking about Facebook during a satellite address to a Bard College audience hours earlier, he warned that “they really need to decide who they work for—the government or the people who use their services,” The Guardian reports.