14 DAY TRIAL // Facebook is introducing a couple of user-facing security features that are quite interesting. For one, it's making it possible to get back into your account if you've been locked out with the help of your friends rather than an email address or a phone.
The second feature is app-specific passwords. This is especially useful when using the two-step authentication scheme Facebook has implemented earlier this year.
"Similar to other features that help you prove your identity through your friends, you can now select three to five trusted friends who can help you if you ever have issues accessing your account," Facebook Security explained.
"It's sort of similar to giving a house key to your friends when you go on vacation--pick the friends you most trust in case you need their help," it said.
If you've forgotten your password, or worse, someone has changed it without your knowledge, there are several ways of recovering it.
You can have an email sent you the account you associated with Facebook or you can use your phone if you've provided it.
But both of these options can fail, relying on your friends is a lot safer and it's also a great example of the social nature of Facebook in use.
Your designated friends will receive codes if you're locked out and you can use those to access your account again.
"There are tons of applications you can use by logging in with your Facebook credentials," Facebook explained.
"However, in some cases, you may want to have a unique password for that application. This is especially helpful if you have opted into Login Approvals, for which security codes don't always work when using third party applications," it said.
Login Approvals are Facebook implementation of what Google calls two-step verification. Essentially, when you log into Facebook from a new device, you need to provide a code that is sent to your phone, on top of your password.
This means added security, but the feature doesn't play well with third-party apps. Which is why Facebook has come up with app-specific passwords, the same as Google Accounts uses application passwords, for the very same reason.
Passwords for applications are generated by Facebook and only need to be provided one, at least, unless you uninstall your application or do something that requires you to provide your credentials again.