They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but it’s also an increasingly common form of online harassment. Facebook announced this week that they are ready to address the practice of stealing a user’s name and picture to create a fake Facebook profile. Their new automated alert system will let users know when another profile has been created using their photos and personal information. Profiles which are flagged by the system for impersonation will also be manually reviewed by Facebook staff. 

The social network has introduced the automated alerts as part of an effort to address online harassment, particularly as it impacts female users of the site. “At a series of round tables we hosted around the world, women talked with us about their experiences on social media…and we discussed the tools and resources needed to safely and fully participate online,” reads a post by the Facebook Safety group. 

When a user receives an alert that another profile may be impersonating them, they will be prompted to confirm whether it’s an impersonation or a legitimate profile that might have the same name and/or similar picture. Impersonation already goes against Facebook’s real name policy, which requires users to post to the site using their given name. The new alert system aims to address impersonation as a serious form of online harassment. If a malicious person spoofs another user’s account, they can then use this account to publish embarrassing or controversial content attributed to the original user. 

Facebook’s Head of Global Safety, Antigone Davis, told Mashable that this form of harassment is “a real point of concern for some women in certain regions of the world where it [impersonation] may have certain cultural or social ramifications.” The alert system is available to 75% of current Facebook users and will expand to all users in the near future.