Paris attacks: Facebook puts its ‘Safety Check’ feature into action

By Trevor Mogg November 13, 2015

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Paris was hit by multiple attacks by gunmen and bombers on Friday night local time, with around 140 people feared dead.

The worst single incident occurred at a concert by U.S. band Eagles of Death Metal, where as many as 100 people are believed to have been killed.

To help those in the city let friends and family know they’re safe, Facebook has activated its “Safety Check” feature, a service launched last year to help with communications for those in disaster zones or during incidents like the one in Paris tonight.

Facebook users in the Paris area will have received a message from the service asking them to tap an “I’m safe” button if they’re OK. The service then sends out a notification to all of their friends letting them know they’re fine. An additional “mark safe” button also enables users to mark others as safe.

If you’re concerned about loved ones that you know are in Paris, click here to access Facebook’s Safety Check page, where hopefully they’ll have already marked themselves as safe.

Addressing the nation on Friday evening, French president Francois Hollande said France would be “merciless” in its response to the attacks and that the tragedy would unite the country.

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Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

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It may have started as little more than a university directory system, but today, Facebook has solidified its position as one of the most influential and far-reaching social networks in the world. But as the old adage goes, with great power comes great responsibility. As such, Facebook recently introduced a new Crisis Response Hub to help its billion-plus users stay safe and informed. This new center is meant to give individuals "information about recent crises and access our crisis response tools -- including Safety Check, Community Help and Fundraisers to support crisis recovery" in a single, centralized location, and is making it easier than ever to donate following a crisis.

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