Facebook has launched a new security initiative, aimed to further protect Facebook users from malware, phishing scams and viruses. Along with renowned security companies such as Sophos, Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro and Microsoft, Facebook is now offering an expanded URL blacklist system, and free software downloads from these five companies.

The gateway to this new project is the Facebook Security page, where users can read security-related updates and access the Security Homepage and the Anti-Virus Marketplace. The updates are on the security page, which Facebook also refers to as a blog, and you will also find security updates from Sophos, Symantec et al., which you can the share with your friends.

On the Anti-Virus Marketplace, you will find free downloads for anti-virus software from all these companies. Aside from Microsoft, which offers its product for free as it is, you can access 6-months licenses for any of the remaining software, without paying a dime. Facebook’s URL blacklist will now also incorporate the databases from these companies. This is Facebook’s attempt to get people more aware of security threats, and to help them feel more secure when browsing Facebook.

Through the security homepage you can also access a PDF of the Facebook Security Guide, and other security-related tips. As of this minute, many of the options on this page are not working, either returning an error or claiming users are not authorized to use this option. Although this will probably be fixed soon, this security initiative is still worth checking out if you’d like to try any of the aforementioned anti-virus software for free, and get some security tips from the leading companies in this field.

Source: Facebook