“When the tool is activated after a natural disaster and if you’re in the affected area, you’ll receive a Facebook notification asking if you’re safe”.
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Following the terrible terrorist attack in Paris, Facebook is doing its bit to ensure that people can track and know the safety of their near and dear ones in such hard times.
The concerns were addressed by Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg in a message posted over the weekend. “You are right that there are many other important conflicts in the world”, Zuckerberg continued. More than 4 million people are reported to have used the feature to ease the worries of concerned loved ones.
Facebook came under criticism when it did not activate the “Safety Check” feature for bombings in Beirut a day earlier, for which Islamic State claimed responsibility.
He further writes that like in natural disasters, when the attacks happen, Facebook has become a place where people share information and check the condition of their loved ones.
“We talked with our employees on the ground, who felt that there was still a need that we could fill”, he added.
This Safety Check tool was first launched past year and on five occasions has been used.
Here’s how it works: Facebook must make a determination of disasters or situations and turn the feature on for users.
He also explained why Safety Check has never been applied to a non-natural disaster until now.
In statement on Saturday, Facebook called safety check a “relatively new feature”.
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Survivors seeking shelter and people anxious about friends or families took to social media following a wave of attacks in the French capital late Friday that killed 129 people. We want this tool to be available whenever and wherever it can help. After Facebook turned on the Paris Security Check Friday, approximately four million people marked themselves as safe on the social networking site, sending notifications out to more than 350 million users.
