FollowJust yesterday we reported on how Facebook and Apple are offering to pay for their female employees to freeze their eggs so that they could focus on work more, which obviously drew a lot of attention, as well as criticism. Today, we’re going to take a look at a new Facebook feature: the Facebook Safety Check that is going to tell all your friends you’re safe in case natural disasters strike.
New Facebook Feature: the Facebook Safety Check
Facebook is starting to roll out a feature that is meant to let people know the user is alright in case of a natural disaster. It’s called the Facebook Safety Check and works by pushing a notification to all the people in an area that was affected by a natural disaster. You receive the notification and all you need to do is click on I am safe or I am not in the area. This will be posted to your wall so that all of your friends and family know you are alright.
Facebook knows where you are thanks to the location listed in your personal profile and the Nearby Friends feature or your IP. If you want to use this feature, make sure you have your current city updated so that you can benefit from the Facebook Safety Check.
The Facebook Safety Check was introduced in Japan yesterday. Japan was chosen due to its high number of earthquakes.
Naomi Gleit, Vice President of product management at Facebook, had this to say about Facebook Safety Check:
Our engineers in Japan took the first step toward creating a product to improve the experience of reconnecting after a disaster. They built the Disaster Message Board to make it easier to communicate with others.
What are your thoughts on Facebook Safety Check? Do you find the feature useful? Drop us a line in the comment section below and tell us!
