Facebook Safety Check: Social Network Reveals Plans to Turn Crisis-Management Feature into a Global Community Tool
By Lauren Stacy • June 29, 2016
Since the beginning of January 2016, Facebook has switched on its Safety Check feature 17 times. It’s a relatively new addition to the social network’s arsenal of tools and lets people in (or near) a major crisis let friends and family know they’re safe.
At first, it was exclusively for use with natural disasters – such as the Japanese tsunami in 2011. Eventually though, the company decided to activate it for human-made crises as well. This month’s horrific shooting in Orlando was the first time the feature has been used inside the United States.