Controversy Behind Facebook Tragedy Features: Is It Making The World Safer? No Temporary Profiles, Safety Checks For Some Countries, Say Critics

Facebook introduced the Safety Check app to assist during crisis events. In the timeframe from October 2014 to November 2015, the app has been initiated eight times, including the Nepal earthquakes and the recent Paris Attacks that claimed 127 lives.

The Facebook tragedy feature also takes advantage of a temporary profile feature, which during the Paris Attacks saw the French flag overalyed on the profile photo.

However, critics say this is causing a division among Facebook users. While the Lenanese, a war-torn country that sees hundreds killed almost every day is asking, "Where is our Facebook Safety Check app?" CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg responded this was the first-of-its-kind use in an event other than a natural disaster.

People in places where similar attacks take place all the time say that Facebook's tragedy features show preferential treatment. Recent attacks in Beirut was especially a concern with many netizens and the most recent attack in African Mali saw no implementation of Facebook Safety Check apps becaue Facebook was not available in the country. 

The Facebook Safety Check app is to let everyone know if a person in a human disaster is ok. The exercise worked will during the Paris Attacks with 4 million using this app. More than that another 360 million relatives and friends made enquiries if their loved ones were safe, using this app. 

The second Facebook tragedy feature is the temporary profile and this is to express solidarity with the victims of the human disaster. In the Paris attacks, it was a French flag over the profile. 

While Facebook's tragedy features appeared to be doing good to human disaster victims, people were still asking "What about Facebook safety check app for Beirut?, Syria? or Kenya?"

In the ensuing attacks in Nigeria, Facebook was quick to add it to its Facebook safety app. 

Zuckerberg answered the first part of the controversy: "Until yesterday, our policy was only to activate Safety Check for natural disasters," he said in Wired report.

"We just changed this and now plan to activate Safety Check for more human disasters going forward as well ... We care about all people equally, and we will work hard to help people suffering in as many of these situations as we can."