Facebook will now use its safety check feature for human disasters

In the midst of Friday’s Paris attacks, Facebook has responded by expanding its safety feature from natural disasters, to also include human tragedies.

The company activated its safety check website for people in Paris following the terror attacks, and more than four million people used the tool to let friends and family know they were safe. According to Facebook, 360 million users received notifications that their loved ones were safe.

After much criticism about why the feature was not widely used, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the social network would use the tool “for more human disasters going forward as well.” He issued a statement below:

The attacks in Paris mark the first time Facebook has organized a tool for a situation other than a natural disaster. Its safety check feature was introduced last year and was implemented after earthquakes in Nepal and Afghanistan, during Hurricane Patricia, and other disasters.

While many supported the feature on Friday, critics questioned why the site didn’t use the tool after Friday’s bombing in Beirut or other parts of the world where violence is more common.

Facebook’s vice president of growth, Alex Schultz explained:

We chose to activate Safety Check in Paris because we observed a lot of activity on Facebook as the events were unfolding. In the middle of a complex, uncertain situation affecting many people, Facebook became a place where people were sharing information and looking to understand the condition of their loved ones. So we made the decision to try something we've never done before: activating Safety Check for something other than a natural disaster. We want this tool to be available whenever and wherever it can help.

Schultz did not go into detail on what the criteria are for activating the feature in future incidents, but did note that it’s not that useful during wars or other ongoing occurrences as there is not a clear start or end point and it’s impossible to know if someone is truly safe.

The full post on the subject can be found here.

Via Mashable