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Apr 12, 2001
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Facebook has launched a new feature called Safety Check that allows users to inform their friends and family about their safety in the event of a disaster or crisis using a check-in system.

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For Facebook on iOS, Safety Check automatically sends users a Facebook push notification if they are in the area of a disaster and prompts them to answer if they're safe. From there, users can select an "I'm Safe" option which will automatically generate a notification and a story in the News Feed. Friends that are marked safe will also show up in the News Feed with a list of their most recent updates.

To determine your location, Facebook looks at the city listed on your profile and recognizes the city where internet services are being used. The company will also use data from the Nearby Friends feature if a user has turned it on. Safety Check's sign-in feature is similar in nature to the Safe and Well website created by the American Red Cross which also allows individuals to register themselves as safe and inform their loved ones of their current conditions.

Facebook's new Safety Check feature comes after the company launched an update to its iOS app yesterday that added support for the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. Facebook for iOS is a free app and can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Facebook's 'Safety Check' Allows Users to Notify Others of Safety During Disasters
 
So next time there's water main break 50 miles away, Facebook is going to ask me if I'm safe.

Translation: this is a tool Facebook is using to check to make sure "active users" really are active users... when they sell your data it goes for more money.
 
I mean, the idea and all is okay, ... but what if someone decides not to hit "I'm safe"... do all of his/her friends automatically assume, that he/she is not safe and start bothering?!

Gives the people in the "disaster area" even more texts and messages to answer, if friends are waiting for a "I'm safe" signal..
 
For those of you making snide remarks:

It will only activate when you're in an area that has been affected by some kind of natural disaster. They'll expand it to include 'other types' in the future. So no, people won't be updating their 'safety status' on a regular basis, it's something Facebook will switch on.

It's probably something you'd want if you knew someone in such an area. Stop being so narrow-minded and thoughtless.

Source: Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook status on the subject.
 
It sounds like a good/great idea IMO.

Some people might be in an 'disaster' area and not think to tell others their OK.

I'm presuming it only pop's up for natural disasters or large 'disastrous' events, so for the majority of us it probably won't have much affect.

BONUS thought: What if the natural disasters are just created by the NSA so that Facebook can track where you are :eek:
/s
 
Love this idea. Right now whenever I hear about natural disasters I have to send out mass texts to check who I know in the area is okay and who needs my help. To date, everyone has always been okay (and to be honest, not really sure what I could/would do if someone on the opposite coast was in trouble.) Now with Safety Check I won't have to do that for my friends that are on Facebook.

Further, they won't have to respond to dozens of texts from other people asking if they're okay - they can just respond to it on Facebook once.

The problem is, what constitutes a disaster? There's a shooter in a town - I would ask people I know in the town if they're okay. Would Facebook send out a safety check notification?

But then again, there's shooters all the time in some areas... you wouldn't want Facebook to endlessly spam you with safety checks about them.
 
I have zero confidence in Facebook implementing this reliably. Pretty much like the "Recent Posts" setting. If I were swept away by a tsunami & Godzilla my friends and family would probably hear about it on Facebook 10-30 days later.

Maybe.
 
My son and his girlfriend and 2 kids were at ground zero last April in the Vilonia, AR tornado.

I am in the Dallas, TX area and was communicating with him right up until they had to take cover in their home. After I saw the radar update past the town, I texted him and waited... and waited. About 10 minutes later, I got a text that they were okay but had been hit and were trapped inside. He had posted on FB that they were about to get hit and so all of his FB friends were panicked. This new Facebook feature would have put a lot of people's minds at ease and possibly directed help to them in a more expedient manner. The main thing this new FB feature does, is push a reminder to those people who might be okay, but in the immediate aftermath, are trying to survive and not thinking about notifying everyone. Also, remaining battery life becomes crucial at a time like this and you don't want to be trying to do multiple notifications to everyone. It took nearly an hour to dig them out and he was worried about his battery dying.

I just wanted to share a real life scenario where this might have been helpful.

The picture is what was left of his immaculate Nissan Altima.
 

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According to the picture in the article (assuming that's from Facebook officially), I don't like the design.

My post will sound like hyperbole, but it is not.

As someone in a tornado state, I think there should seriously be a third option:

- I'm safe
- I'm not in the area
- Send help I'm under a ****ing tree trapped in my house

I'm not great on wording but my third option is serious. A *push* notification during a disaster is an important thing. People always have their phones but may not be able to navigate an app. Phones may be down or 911 may be overloaded. Hopefully a few bits of data can get through.

I hate Facebook for many reasons, but this is a good idea which I hope is not overused or abused.
 
Still not enough to ever bring me back to facebook.

Should be integrated into ios Find my Friends or the lock screen emergency app though.
 
I may be in the minority, but I think this is an awesome feature. My heart literally is aching when I know people in disaster areas and am waiting to hear if they are OK. Getting to know earlier is very welcome.
 
I mean, the idea and all is okay, ... but what if someone decides not to hit "I'm safe"... do all of his/her friends automatically assume, that he/she is not safe and start bothering?!

Gives the people in the "disaster area" even more texts and messages to answer, if friends are waiting for a "I'm safe" signal..

100% agree. You hit the nail on the head there.

Also, most of my older family members are pretty clueless about the internet anyway and will NOT be checking Facebook to see if I'm ok in the event something goes down in NYC...
 
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