Facebook launches Safety Check disaster feed
Facebook has started tracking natural and human disasters from around the world in a new feed on its app.
The social network is giving its Safety Check feature a dedicated tab that contains a stream of disasters as they happen.
The update, which will be added over the coming weeks, is designed to keep Facebook's 2 billion users informed about problems as they occur, rather than waiting to be sent an alert.
"There's now a single place to go to see where Safety Check has recently been activated, get the information you need and potentially be able to help affected areas," said Facebook.
The new section could help stem the criticism Facebook has faced for letting people mark themselves as safe even if they are not in the vicinity of the disaster area.
Facebook launched Safety Check in 2011 as a way to connect people affected by natural disasters to seek help and let their friends know they are safe. The feature was expanded to include human disasters for the first time in 2015 following the Paris terror attacks, in which 130 people died.
Facebook's Safety Check tab is the latest update to the tool, which now includes the ability to donate money in the wake of a disaster.
Earlier this year, Facebook launched a feature called Community Help, which lets users who are near crises ask for or offer help. This can include access to transport, accommodation or supplies.
The tech giant isn't the only organisation to use its reach to offer disaster updates. Google launched a crisis response feature called SOS back in July.
The feature appears in Google's Maps app and Search browser during a crisis and contains information to keep users up to date and help them decide what to do. SOS can include details such as helpful phrases in the local language, the areas that are affected and the latest news.
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