Facebook is expanding its "Safety Check" feature, which allows users of the social network to check on the status of their loved ones, after people complained that the feature was available during the Paris attacks but not during the terrorist attacks that took place in Beirut, according to CNBC.
"Many people have rightfully asked why we turned on Safety Check for Paris but not for bombings in Beirut and other places," said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO. "Until yesterday, our policy was only to activate Safety Check for natural disasters. We just changed this and now plan to activate Safety Check for more human disasters going forward as well."
Prior to the Paris attacks, the feature was only used after consulting with the company's policy teams on the ground, according to The Hill. However, as of now the the social network plans to fix the inconsistency of the feature and hopes to make the tool available "whenever and wherever" it can help, according to Engadget.
Facebook's "Safety Check" began development during Japan's 2011 tsunami and was first rolled out in 2014. Since then, the feature has been used five times, according to The Hill.
According to the website, 360 million people were notified that their friends or relatives were safe in the first 24 hours following the Paris attacks.
