Summary:
On March 27, 2016, following a bombing in Lahore, Pakistan, Facebook activated its "Safety Check" feature, to help people stay in touch after the deadly terrorist attack, but the feature strayed far afield from the location. The first time Safety Check was activated as a response to terrorism was following the Paris attacks in November 2015. Until then, it had only been used after natural disasters.
Allegations:
- Many Facebook users in the US and UK were left confused after receiving a notification that read: "Are you OK? It looks like you're in the area affected by The Explosion in Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park, Lahore, Pakistan. Let your friends know that you're safe."
Defence:
- In response to the technical issue a Facebook representative said, "We have activated Safety Check in Lahore. We apologise to anyone who mistakenly received a notification outside of Pakistan and are working to resolve the issue".