Facebook offers free trial of McAfee security software

Facebook has signed a partnership with McAfee to offer its users a complimentary six-month subscription to McAfee security software

Facebook

The social network site says it is offering its 350 million users globally the free trial as part of its focus “on protecting its users through dedicated teams and sophisticated systems”.

Facebook believes that the deal will complement its own security protocols “and extends them beyond Facebook to anywhere people go on the Internet”. After the initial six months, users will be able to purchase the software at a discounted rate.

Announcing the deal on the Facebook Blog, Jake Brill, project manager for site integrity, says: “We’ve incorporated custom McAfee software for people identified as having infected computers. Now, if your computer is infected, you will be asked to run a scan like the one shown below and clean it before accessing Facebook. We’re not aware of another free Internet service that takes this much responsibility for helping people keep their accounts secure.”

Users can access the offer through the McAfee page on Facebook.

Facebook has faced calls for better security for some years now, following numerous scams on the site. Marketers and privacy campaigners have called for better security in the past.

Recommended