Facebook Lite Receives the ‘Safety Check’ Feature – limited to a few countries
Menlo Park-based social networking firm, Facebook Inc. introduced a lite data consuming application for Facebook dubbed; Facebook Lite – in more than 100 countries to provide an easier way for people in areas with low connectivity to connect. In many areas around the world, networks can be slow and unreliable.
This can be even more challenging after a crisis, when communication is critical, this is where the its “Safety Check Feature” comes in handy.
Introduced in 2011, launched in 2014, it was then in 2017 that the feature became a permanent feature with it’s own section. It was available on Facebook.com and the Facebook original app. It’s then that the social network decided on Wednesday to bring the feature to its lite app; Facebook Lite.
Since the app is available in 100 countries and used in 55 languages, will help users that have installed the app and in the areas of immediate danger be able to notify their family and friends that they are safe.
What’s the Facebook Safety Check Feature
The Facebook Safety Check was introduced in 2011 and launched in 2015 which was first used only for natural disasters later expanded to terror attacks after the 2015 Paris attack.
When activated in the affected area, users who Facebook determines to live/spend a lot of time in these areas are sent a push notification asking if they want to check in as safe. Then sends a notification to friends of those who check in – confirming they have been marked as safe.
People can as well offer help for those who are in need of help like food, shelter, medicines, or clothing’s.
The feature has ever been activated in;
- Barcelona where a van veered onto a promenade and barreled down the busy walkway killing 14 people.
- Orlando, Florida, U.S. after a gunman massacred 50 people at a nightclub. It was also the first time to activate the feature in U.S.
- Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, Turkey, after a suicide attack that left 45 people dead.
- Nice, France, after a large truck mowed through a crowd that was celebrating Bastille Day killing at least 84 people.
- Nigeria, after a bombing in a marketplace in Yola that killed dozens of citizens and injured many more.
In 2016 the app hit 100 million monthly users and earlier last year doubled in size to 200 million users.[related-posts]
