Immediately after France was rocked by a series of terrorist attacks in Paris, Facebook launched an online feature to allow users to notify their friends and relatives that they were safe.
Although the social network giant's intention with Safety Check was to help users, it was criticized due to the timing of the feature's launch, according to CNET.
On November 13, a group of eight assailants carried out a series of attacks in different locations in Paris including the Bataclan theater and the Stade de France. The attacks, which were a combination of mass shootings and suicide bombings, resulted in over 130 confirmed deaths.
Immediately after the horrifying incident, which was believed to have been carried out by supporters of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Facebook launched the Safety Check tool. Basically, this featured sent out notifications to users in Paris asking them about their status and condition during the attack.
By responding to the notification, many users were able to inform their loved ones that they were unharmed during the incident.
However, Facebook was immediately criticized by other users and groups for its decision to launch the feature after the Paris Terrorist Attacks, even though twin suicide bombings in Beirut, Lebanon were reported on November 12. The incident, which was also claimed by ISIS, caused the deaths of at least 43 people.
According to criticizers, Facebook should have also launched the feature in Beirut, given that the two incidents in Lebanon and France happened consecutively. They noted that the social network's decision to prioritize users in Paris further supports the concept of western bias, The Verge reported.
In a recent post, Facebook addressed the criticisms and explained its decision in launching Safety Check last week.
"We chose to activate Safety Check in Paris because we observed a lot of activity on Facebook as the events were unfolding," Alex Schultz, Facebook's vice president of growth said in a statement. "In the middle of a complex, uncertain situation affecting many people, Facebook became a place where people were sharing information and looking to understand the condition of their loved ones."
"We talked with our employees on the ground, who felt that there was still a need that we could fill," he continued. "So we made the decision to try something we've never done before: activating Safety Check for something other than a natural disaster. There has to be a first time for trying something new, even in complex and sensitive times, and for us that was Paris."
The executive noted that Facebook will further expand the function and nature of the Safety Check tool to cover areas that will be affected by natural disasters and other tragic events in the future. In addition, the company will also launch other features that will help show users' support like what it did with the Profile Settings in the wake of the Paris Terrorist Attacks.
