Facebook announced their policy change for activating Safety Check after the horrific tragedy that struck Paris last Friday. The activation marks the first time that the tool has been deployed for an event that is not a natural disaster.
According to Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook plans to activate Safety Check for more human disasters moving forward. More details on the policy change are posted on the Facebook Safety page.
The earliest version of Safety Check was inspired by the tsunami and nuclear disaster that struck Japan in 2011. Facebook engineers wanted to find an easier way for people to reassure their loved ones that they were safe. Since then the Safety Check has been activated several times in the wake of natural disasters from the recent earthquakes in Afghanistan, Chile and Nepal. It was also activated during Tropical Cyclone Pam (South Pacific) and Typhoon Ruby (Philippines).
