Facebook will use the Safety Check function in future cases of terrorism
The social network Facebook is not just a place to gossip about other people's lives through publications and friendships. It has also become a information channel where you can keep up to date with current events, and every friend or family member lives That is why it is used regularly when trying to contact people at times crisisSomething that Facebook knows well, and for which they created the function Safety Check, which focuses on letting these friends know if a user affected by a natural disaster is safe However, after the attacks terrorists of last Friday the 13th in Paris, Facebook will use your Safety Check in upcoming cases of terrorism and other similar situations.
This has been made known by the vice president of growth of Facebook, Alex Schultz , who has posted on Facebook a statement about the new use of this feature. In that article, Schultz explains why Facebook activated Safety Check in a case of terrorism, focusing on being able to avoid the anxiety of not knowing if that person who lives in Paris is safe or not.However, it is also facing criticism for having activated this feature in the case of Paris , and not in the also recent attack in Beirut, where two suicide bombers have left more than 40 dead and 200 injured.
In view of this, the vice president of growth explains that Facebook detected a high use of the social network during the attacks in Paris, trying to search for information about friends and family who lived there. After discussing it among their workers, they decided to carry out the experiment and apply Safety Check to this case, where a natural disaster is not the cause of the situation. This implies several changes in the use policies and in the operation of the tool. And it is that Schultz explains that in this type of situation there is no starting and ending point for the risk situation , as in earthquakes.Thus, information is more sensitive, and there is no clear moment in which people's well-being can be ensured. That is why it is a first experiment by Facebook, which tries to continue offering useful features to its users, but in this case it is beingdeveloped during its own use Reason it was not used in the case of Beirut
However, the person in charge of Facebook ensures that Safety Checkit will be activated again in those complex situations that go beyond natural catastrophes, for which reason it is expected that new notifications arise in territories where terrorism strikes society Of course, trying to improve its operation and define its mode of action in each situation .
Safety Checkalarms are raised to users who are in critical places and situations either by a natural disaster like an earthquake, or now also in terrorist attacks. With it the user can confirm that they are safe This creates a notification to all their friends on Facebook informing you that is fine, without having to reply to every message or having to post to all your followers.
