• TechCrunch, Monday, October 3, 2011 10:52 AM

Facebook is partnering up with security firm Websense in an effort to protect users from dangerous links that lead to malicious Web sites and malware sites. "Going forward, when a Facebook user clicks on a link, the new system will first check the link against Websense's system to determine whether or not it's safe," according to TechCrunch. "If it's not, a message is displayed warning the user that the link is potentially harmful and suggests you return to the previous page."

Powering the system is Websense's "ThreatSeeker Cloud," the security firm's classification and malware identification platform. According to Websense, the system is capable of analyzing threats in real-time using its own proprietary technology known as the "Advanced Classification Engine," or ACE.

"This isn't the only security mechanism Facebook has in place to protect against malicious links," TechCrunch notes. In May, the social network partnered with the crowdsourced reputation management service Web of Trust to offer similar protections. Web of Trust, which relies on submissions from a community of users, is expected to continue operating on Facebook.

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