Facebook mistakenly asked people if they were in Pakistan following a deadly explosion
Following a bombing in Lahore, Pakistan, on March 27 that killed at least 52 people, Facebook activated its "Safety Check" feature, which allows people to use the social platform to let friends and loved ones know they are okay following a crisis or natural disaster.
But on Sunday, there was one problem: It appears Facebook wrongly sent Safety Check notifications to people who were never in danger, or even close to the Pakistan explosion.
Take a look. People on Twitter have been sharing screenshots of the notifications they received from Facebook.
Here's one from 22-year-old Menna Alaa, who lives in Cairo, Egypt.
So @facebook just did this. (I am not even in Pakistan) pic.twitter.com/nyo2yBSNWZ
- Menna ???? (@TheMiinz) March 27, 2016
Alaa told Tech Insider that she's never been to Pakistan and has never used the Safety Check feature.
And she's not the only one who experienced the glitch on Sunday. Tech Insider's own Dave Mosher, who lives in New York City, received a notification; he said the notice made him wonder if someone in Pakistan had somehow compromised his account.
A quick Twitter search for "not in Pakistan Facebook" yields plenty of results from people who also received errant notifications.
Facebook thought I was near an explosion in Pakistan. I'm in New Jersey. pic.twitter.com/KeOYPR8c8z
- Dan Graziano (@DanGraziano) March 27, 2016
Not in Pakistan, thanks for looking out though @facebook
If you're there, stay safe! pic.twitter.com/RlrFGsf3Df
- Travis Day (@casuallytravis) March 27, 2016
this is great facebook but i am not in pakistan pic.twitter.com/3HwYM6ny1u
- Brand X (@eatyourdinner) March 27, 2016
Tech Insider reached out to Facebook to find out what might be causing the issue.
"We have activated Safety Check in Lahore. We apologize to anyone who mistakenly received a notification outside of Pakistan and are working to resolve the issue," a Facebook representative told TI.
This is not the first time Facebook has activated the feature this month. Earlier in March, the company used Safety Check following the terrorist attacks in Brussels.
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