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Facebook Launches Safety Check To Update Friends During Natural Disasters

A new feature launched on Facebook this week will allow the estimated 1.32 billion users to update friends about their safety during natural disasters.

The feature, called Safety Check, lets users let family and friends know if they are safe when a hurricane or other natural disaster hits in their area. Facebook activates the tool and determines who is in an affected area by using the city listed in user profiles and the latest check-in location or location from which users are accessing Internet, sending notifications regarding the user’s safety, Newsweek reported.

After receiving the notification, users can choose “I’m safe” or “I’m not in the area.” Users an also mark friends as safe, although friends will need to verify this. The selection then generates a newsfeed story for friends and family to see. If Facebook users have friends in disaster zones marked as safe, they will receive a notification.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”– Naimo Gleit, Sharon Zeng and Peter Cottle” author_title=”Facebook product managers and engineer”]

Each time, we see people, relief organizations, and first responders turn to Facebook in the aftermath of a major natural disaster.

[/quote]

Facebook VP of Product Management Naomi Gleit, Software Engineer Peter Cottle, and Product Manager Sharon Zeng said in a statement that the feature is designed to help users communicate with loved ones during a disaster.

“It is in these moments that communication is most critical both for people in the affected area and for their friends and family anxious for news,” Facebook said in a statement.

Safety Check comes after efforts by Japanese engineers after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that led to the Disaster Message Board. More than 12.5 million people were affected by the disaster in Japan, and many relied on social media to stay connected. The Disaster Message Board was tested within a year of the disaster and received positive feedback, encouraging Facebook to continue improving the system, Forbes reported.

Safety Check will be available to global users on iOS, Android, desktop and cell phones used to access the website, the Associated Press reported.

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