[Courtesy of Facebook]
When the terrorist attacks in Paris were confirmed, Facebook deployed the safety check service to its users located in the city. Users in Paris were able to let people know that they are alright by notifying Facebook and in reverse, users who were worried if their friend is caught up in the attacks could ask them if they were OK. The whole process is done by tapping a few times in the Facebook app.
The safety check service was originally developed during incidents in Fukushima, Japan, 2011. The social media giant aimed to have its users notify their loved ones of their state and where they are.
But Facebook’s not the first to use the kind of features of a smartphone. The Red Cross created the Safe and Well app following devastating aftermaths of Hurricane Katrina, 2005. The users can use the app to allocate their loved ones who are previously registered on the site during an aftermath of a natural / unnatural disasters.
According to the Red Cross, the app helped to locate more than 450 people during the Boston Bombing.
아주경제 박세진 기자 = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
