Facebook Launches Safety Check To Ensure Better Communication During Disasters

Facebook introduced a new feature called Safety Check to help people communicate a safety message in the event of a disaster.

Facebook is planning to use its wide network as a communication channel in the event of a disaster like an earthquake or tsunami, when it gets nearly impossible to communicate with loved ones to ensure they are safe. A new Facebook feature will make it easier for people to check if their friends and family are safe when caught in natural disasters.

In an official blog announcing the new feature, VP of Product Management Naomi Gleit, Product Manager Sharon Zeng and software engineer Peter Cottle explained how the new Safety Check works. Designed for both mobile and desktop, the feature will automatically activate itself during a natural disaster. Based on the location shared on the profile and Nearby Friends (if opted), Safety Check will send a notification to ask if you are safe.

The notification will give two options, "I'm Safe," or "I'm not in the area," and allow users to mark whichever suitable. Once a particular option is chosen, Facebook will share the status on friends' feeds to communicate the message to others.

"Each time, we see people, relief organizations and first responders turn to Facebook in the aftermath of a major natural disaster," explained the blog post. "These events have taught us a lot about how people use Facebook during disasters and we were personally inspired to continue work on the Disaster Message Board to incorporate what we've learned. This project soon became Safety Check."

Facebook said the birth of the Safety Check feature was inspired by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011. The engineers then build the Disaster Message Board to help users communicate with others in a better way. The new feature is a refined version of the Disaster Message Board that will efficiently help users in a crisis.