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Facebook Will Tell You if Russian Trolls Slide Into Your DMs

The social network will offer warnings about sketchy, unknown contacts who DM you, which could indicate the country where the person's phone number is registered.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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Facebook is testing a new Messenger feature that could make it easier to spot direct messages from Russian trolls.

As was first reported by Motherboard, the feature offers useful warnings about sketchy unknown contacts who DM you.

Facebook's Dalya Browne confirmed the trial to PCMag, stating: "we are testing a new feature that provides people with more context on someone they may not have previously connected with in Messenger. This context will allow them to make a more informed decision about whether or not they'd like to message that individual."

The warnings could indicate the country where the person's phone number is registered and whether the person has a similar name as an existing Facebook friend or Messenger contact. That last bit of information may help people determine if the sender is impersonating someone they actually know.

Motherboard posted a screenshot of one of the warnings, which it obtained from Facebook user Erin Gallagher. The warning stated that the sender of a DM saying "Hello" had logged in using a phone number from Russia, recently created their account, was using Messenger without Facebook, and was different from one of her friend's on the social network with the same name.

This new trial comes after Facebook in April shut down 273 accounts linked to the Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency, a notorious Russian "troll farm" which published tens of thousands of divisive political posts during the 2016 presidential election. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in November said he was "dead serious" about stopping Russian Facebook abuse. The following month, the company launched tool that lets you see all the Internet Research Agency-created Facebook pages and Instagram accounts you liked or followed between January 2015 and August 2017.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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