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Facebook 'Safety Check' Lets Friends Know You're OK After a Major Disaster
rtoz (2530056) writes Facebook has launched a new Tool called "Safety Check." The Facebook Safety Check tool will notify your friends so that they know you're OK after a major disaster. In times of disaster or crisis, people turn to Facebook to check on loved ones and get updates. "During a major disaster, Safety Check will help you:
Let friends and family know you're safe; Check on others in the affected area; Mark your friends as safe ... When the tool is activated after a natural disaster and if you're in the affected area, you'll receive a Facebook notification asking if you're safe. [Facebook] will determine your location by looking at the city you have listed in your profile, your last location if you've opted in to the Nearby Friends product, and the city where you are using the internet. ... If you're safe, you can select "I'm Safe" and a notification and News Feed story will be generated with your update. Your friends can also mark you as safe." More creepy, or more reassuring?
my guess is, to limit liability, that you can only choose 'safe'; like you can only choose to 'like' something. having a 'not safe' option opens facebook up to liability if they do not notify authorities of someone that they know is not safe and has the usual privacy implications if they do tell 3rd parties about you. not to forget the flood of activity and rumors that will spread like wildfires in california if the site posts someone as being 'not safe' after a disaster.