The email service is to compliment its already running phishing detection system, an internal service that notifies its security team on possible phishing threats and its connected websites.
According to an official release note, "Facebook intends to gather more information on phishing sites so as to be able to take them offline" through browser backlisting or actual site takedown where appropriate. Facebook is thereby requesting that users should forward any suspicious email to the provided address: phish@fb.com.
Generally, social networking sites have been the bait of identity scams, a development which has engaged the better part of social networks security concerns over the past months, coupled with the incessant privacy issues. And with the rising influx of fake accounts on popular networking portals, the case of unsolicited emails and phishing threats is the order of the day.
Augmenting existing security mechanisms working at the background to protect users has been the call by security experts, which implementation may well serve the much needed identity theft issues. Facebook is sure on the right footing with the new notification service.
