Facebook has activated a feature that allows users to easily inform their friends and relatives that they are safe in response to the Brussels terrorist attacks Tuesday.
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(CNN)Three explosions in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday killed more than 30 people and wounded scores more.
Until the Paris attacks this past November, Safety Check was only used for emergencies like earthquakes or hurricanes.
At the time, the decision got some pushback from those who pointed out that Facebook did not activate Safety Check following the suicide bombs that occurred in Beirut, Lebanon a day earlier. The tool “gives you an easy and simple way to say you’re safe and check on all your friends and family in one place”, Zuckerberg said at the time.
If it looks like you may be near a natural disaster, Facebook will ask if you’re safe.
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As in similar attacks and natural disasters, Facebook’s Safety Check prompts people in the region to mark themselves as “safe”. That information could be listed on someone’s profile or disclosed when using the “Nearby Friends” feature. A person’s friends can also check them in as safe.
