Facebook's Spare Keys And How They Work

This week Facebook is updating its security options and amongst the fray is a feature which may well be the most interesting offered by Facebook since its inception: spare keys. These keys come in under new "Trusted Friends" options on the social network which gives three to five friends the ability to access a special code which will allow you to unlock your account if you've forgotten your password. This of course will also come in rather handy if your account has been compromised by an ex-boyfriend who just so happens to be messing with you after you foolishly forgot to change your password after your amicable separation.

While Facebook is promoting this new feature as something similar to giving a spare key to your trusted neighbors or handing a key to your friend who will take the dog out to pee while you're away on business, we'll be calling it something like citizen soldiers or hood police. The Trusted Friends option will be popping up in your Accounts Setting page inside the next few weeks, and you'll be able to toss out codes right at the start. Sound like something you're going to take part in? Or does it make you feel like you've just given away your security code to more people than should have known it in the first place?

Fear not, Friends, this option, once activated, will only work once you've requested a new password on the "forgot my password" page, this then asking you to add several friends who will then get the code and pass it on to you. Once you've got the code, you enter it in on Facebook's password recovery page to log back in. This option will be added on top of other options like security words, and won't be replacing any current methods for re-entry.

As a sort of BONUS announcement, Facebook has also started to roll out application passwords – that means that each app you've got active in your Facebook account can now have a separate password from your main account password. To access this option, just head to Account Settings, click on your Security Tab, and find App Passwords. Can't imagine why you'd want to do THAT.