“Back to the future” moment: Facebook security alert sets deadline to Dec 31, 1969

A bizarre Facebook security prompt is popping up for some users with a deadline that’s already half a century in the rearview mirror.

The alert tells people their account “requires stronger security by 31 Dec 1969,” and yes, it appears inside the official mobile app, not as a sketchy email link. Moreover, from what I can deduce, it seems that it’s happening on the iOS app, at least judging by the screenshots.

Unsurprisingly, Reddit has turned it into a time-travel bit, with one r/facebook post joking about needing a “Back to the Future” car to make the cutoff.​​

The screen itself looks like a standard in-app security interstitial with two buttons labeled “Next” and “Learn more.” The copy claims the account “has the potential to reach many people,” so the user needs Advanced Protection to keep it secure.

In at least one thread, people also reported seeing a similar prompt with a Jan. 1, 1970-style date, which is a clue to what’s likely happening.​​

If “Dec 31, 1969” rings a bell, it’s because it’s basically the computers-are-bad-at-dates version of a shrug. A commenter in the same r/facebook discussion points to the Unix timestamp “epoch” (Jan. 1, 1970 at 00:00:00 UTC), noting that when systems get a missing or invalid date they can default to zero, which then renders as late 1969 in some time zones. The fact that the prompt is real and the date is nonsense can both be true, and that’s why the whole thing feels so perfectly 1969.

So what is Facebook actually trying to do here? On its help page, Facebook describes Advanced Protection as a program designed for accounts at higher risk of compromise, and it says eligible people will see prompts on Facebook to learn about the program and enroll.

Facebook also says some accounts that can “reach lots of people” may be required to enable it, and the setup typically boils down to basics like a stronger password and 2FA.​​

That “reach lots of people” line also explains why some regular users are spooked, because it sounds like something reserved for public figures or page admins, not someone scrolling family photos. Still, given the app UI and Facebook’s own description of the rollout, it seems more like a real security flow that’s tripping over a broken date field than a phishing popup that escaped into the app.

For now, the safest play is to treat it as a nudge: verify 2FA is enabled in Accounts Center, tighten the password if it’s old, and avoid acting on any copycat emails that reference the same “deadline,” while we wait to see if Meta acknowledges the glitch.​​