14 DAY TRIAL // A glitch in the Facebook Safety Check tool has prompted users living in the US, the UK and Romania, asking them if they were ok and unharmed after a terrorist attack in Lahore, Pakistan.
Currently, 72 people are confirmed dead, and around 300 more injured after a bomb exploded on Sunday night in the crowded Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park in Lahore, Pakistan.
Following the incident, Facebook decided to activate the Safety Check tool for users living in the area, following a pattern set for the first time after last year's November 13 terror attacks in Paris, France.
This feature was first launched after the Nepal earthquake in April 2015 but was for the first time used following the terrorist attacks in Paris. Regardless of this, the tool is considered a stable feature at Facebook offices.
Facebook's Safety Check works by showing a message to users living in a disaster zone, asking them to confirm they are OK. Once the user confirms, a status is automatically posted on their Facebook timeline.
Facebook Safety Check has a hiccup, alerts the wrong users
Things didn't work out as the social network expected, and instead of prompting just users living or visiting Lahore, Pakistan, the tool also started asking users in the US, the UK and Romania if they were hurt in the Lahore attacks.
Facebook's mistake was big enough that many people noticed, and the company had to issue an official apology.
"Unfortunately, many people not affected by the crisis received a notification asking if they were okay," the social network wrote. "This kind of bug is counter to our intent. We worked quickly to resolve the issue and we apologize to anyone who mistakenly received the notification."
Below you can read Facebook's apology for activating the Safety Check feature for people not in Lahore, Pakistan.
Facebook thinks I'm in #Pakistan (I'm not). My 1st experience w/ its Safety Check feature, & it's a little intense. pic.twitter.com/J4k7mVQFXu — Postcards & Places (@postcardsplaces) March 27, 2016