Facebook introduces new Messenger to prevent online scams.

Facebook has announced a new feature for Messenger designed to cut down on malicious parties looking to scam users this morning.

The feature aims to both cut down on scammers and users posing as other people, along with helping to protect minors from bad actors.

The company scans accounts for suspicious activity, leveraging machine learning to pick up anomalies like accounts sending a large number of requests in a short time or numerous message requests to users under 18.

The feature arrives amid a notable uptick in false friend requests caused by a change to the service’s search algorithm.

If suspicious activity is detected, the app will pop up a chat window noting the issue, along with options for blocking or ignoring the user.

The system is designed to limit interactions between adults and younger users who aren’t already connected to the platform. As stated by  Facebook, “Our new feature educates people under the age of 18 to be cautious when interacting with an adult they may not know and empowers them to take action before responding to a message.”

The system has already seen a limited rollout for some Android users, dating as far back as March; iOS functionality, meanwhile, is set to arrive sometime next week.

Regarding keeping human operators from having to view potentially sensitive information, Facebook says the feature will continue to work with the addition of end-to-end encryption on the platform, which is likely where that machine learning comes in.

Facebook over the years has been committed to building technology that helps people find ways to be together and gives people the power to connect with friends and family,  and find communities and grow to solve problems and working together to connect people all over the world.

They believe it’s important that our workforce reflects the diversity of the people they serve. Hiring people with different backgrounds and points of view helps in making better decisions, build better products, and create better experiences for everyone.