Science/Tech

Facebook to use Safety Check more often

By Lord Castillo | Update Date: Nov 16, 2015 09:05 AM EST

Facebook has been criticized as it activated its Safety Check feature for the Paris terrorist attacks but not for the bombings in Beirut. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO said that he would use the feature more often during human-made disasters.

Facebook activated the Safety Check on November 13, 2015 after a series of shootings and bombings around Paris that killed more than 100 people. The Safety Check automatically sends users in the affected area a note asking if they're safe. When a user clicks "Yes, let my friends know," it then notifies their Facebook friends.

More than 4 million people have used the tool to mark themselves safe following the attacks. Facebook also activated a feature wherein users can alter their profile pictures to express their solidarity.

"You are right that there are many other important conflicts in the world," Zuckerberg wrote on November 14, 2015 in a comment on Facebook."We care about all people equally, and we will work hard to help people suffering in as many of these situations as we can."

Facebook said its Safety Check tool when an earthquake and Tsunami hit Japan on 2011. The status tool has been activated a handful of times since its official launch in October 2014, including after the recent earthquakes in Afghanistan, Chile and Nepal, Facebook said.

Alex Schultz, Facebook's vice president of growth, said that the safety check tool isn't perfect for all disaster situations.

"In the case of natural disasters, we apply a set of criteria that includes the scope, scale and impact," Schultz wrote in a Facebook post Saturday. "During an ongoing crisis, like war or epidemic, Safety Check in its current form is not that useful for people: because there isn't a clear start or end point and, unfortunately, it's impossible to know when someone is truly 'safe.'"

Schultz said Facebook learned from the feedback it received following the Paris activation of Safety Check and will change its policy regarding when to activate the tool. He also said that Facebook will "continue to explore how we can help people show support for the things they care about through their Facebook profiles."

Facebook isn't the only social media used by people to express that they are safe during the Paris attacks. They also turned to Twitter and even used the hashtag #PorteOuverte ("open door") wherein Twitter users in Paris posted their address to offer shelter.

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