Ars Technica reported that Facebook has changed the default email addresses of its users to an @Facebook.com URL.

Facebook has altered the email addresses on user accounts to @Facebook.com URLs. The move, first reported by Ars Technica, builds on Facebook’s rollout of an email service, which has struggled to build a user base since launching in 2010. While Facebook discussed the move with Ars Technica, it did not publicly reveal the update to its users before making the change.

The launch of Timeline made it more difficult for users to see their email addresses on Facebook, so there’s a chance few people have noticed the change on their profile or their friends’ pages. Users can change their email address back to their preferred account, but the move indicates Facebook is likely looking to boost its overall use and may give marketers opportunities to send prospects Facebook messages instead of emails.

Among the reasons Facebook email has failed to garner much use is its similarity to the platform’s messaging tool. Essentially, users have no way of distinguishing their Facebook email from chats and others correspondence with friends on the social network.

For many, Facebook remains the most frequently used platform for consumers and social media marketing, and companies are finding that content shared on the site positively influences conversion rates, Brafton recently reported. Facebook told Ars Technica that changing email addresses to @Facebook.com is part of the company’s move to help users control the personal information shared on the network.

Joe Meloni is Brafton's former Executive News and Content Writer. He studied journalism at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has written for a number of print and web-based publications.