Facebook Safety Check activated after Orlando gay club shooting

In India, we’ve seen Facebook activate its safety Check feature during Chennai floods and Manipur quake. Now, the feature has been activated in the US, apparently for the first time, following the shooting at the Orlando gay bar. If you have a loved one in the affected area, you can access the tool  here. The feature lets users mark themselves as safe during emergency situation. It will come handy as some of the families are still looking for their loved ones. On the other hand, Safety Check also automatically sends Facebook users in the affected area a note inquiring if they are safe.

Facebook activated the tool after a man is said to have killed 50 people inside a gay night club in Orlando, Florida, and more than 50 people are said to be injured. “We hope the people in the area find the tool a helpful way to let their friends and family know they are okay,” Facebook reportedly said in a statement.

The Safety Check feature received a lot of attention during terrorist attacks that took place in Paris, France last year.  Facebook had also activated the Safety Check tool to let family and friends know they are safe when heavy rain had caused severe flooding in Chennai and surrounding areas.

However, earlier this year, Facebook has apologised for a bug that sent a Safety Check notification to users around the world following a deadly suicide bombing in Pakistan. The safety Check feature has been activated during emergencies in India, Pakistan, France, Belgium, Nigeria, among other countries.

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