Zuckerberg Explained Facebook's Safety Check Activation after Paris Attacks

Facebook Safety Check tool was activated after Paris bombing attack on Friday Night. Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg explained the reason why the tool is activated.

Safety Check is a simple tool that enable people on Facebook to inform their relatives that they are safe during a major disastrous event. It was first launched in 2014 and predated in Japan by Facebook engineers after Japanese earthquake and tsunami in 2011. They built Disaster Message Board to ease communication between people after the disaster. In the last week Paris terrorist attacks, Facebook activated its Safety Check to help people in Paris check their relatives. However, some people criticized Facebook for not activating the Safety Check in Beirut bombing.

Mark Zuckerberg as reported by Time Magazine addressed the criticism saying, "Many people have rightfully asked why we turned on Safety Check for Paris but not for bombings in Beirut and other places." Furthermore, Zuckerberg also explained Facebook's policy of Safety Check, "Until yesterday, our policy was only to activate Safety Check for natural disasters. We just changed this and now plan to activate Safety Check for more human disasters going forward as well."

The bombing in Paris was carried out by Islamic State. In their audio message, as transcribed by Washington Post the attack was said to "set out targeting the capital of prostitution and vice, the lead carrier of the cross in Europe-Paris." The attack was also noted to be one of the deadliest attacks in France since World War II. President Francois Hollande called the attack as an act of war by Islamic State.

Last week, Islamic State carried out two attacks in just two days. In Beirut, a day before Paris attack, a twin blast killed dozens of people which Islamic State also claimed responsibility. Islamic State aimed to establish a sharia law in their claimed territory. So far, the group has taken control over large areas in Iraq and Syria.They have attracted other terrorist group to join, even as far as Southeast Asia's Abu Sayyaf that pledged allegiance to Islamic State, making it a global terrorist threat. So far, 16 countries and United Nations have declared them as a terrorist organization. Paris attacks were the last of the multitude of atrocities conducted by Islamic State.

According to CNN, in the aftermath of Islamic State terrorist attack in Paris, more than 4 million people marked themselves as "Safe" within 24 hours after Facebook activated Safety Check tool.

After the attack, Facebook Safety Check tools so far has become the source of information for people to find information of their relatives residing around affected area in Paris.