Facebook activated its Safety Check tool to help people near the site of a deadly shootings early Sunday in Orlando, Florida let friends and loved ones know they are safe, sending out to all Facebook users in the area a message asking if they are safe. When a user clicks on “yes, let my friends know,” the tool notifies their Facebook friends.
Safety Check was activated after a man with an assault-style weapon killed at least 50 people inside a gay night club in Orlando, the deadliest mass shooting in US history. At least another 53 were injured, authorities said.
The social network tool, also activated earlier this year after terrorist bombings struck the airport and subway in Brussels, Belgium, is one of the many ways the Internet has become an essential tool in responding to crises.
Safety Check was activated for the first time as a response to terrorism following the Paris attacks in November. Until then, it had only been used after natural disasters.
