Facebook Launches Disaster Service

Sometimes Facebook’s lack of respect for privacy can have good consequences. The tech company is launching a new service called Safety Check, which will allow people to register themselves as safe when a major disaster happens. It works by Facebook sending the user a push notification if their current location is in an area where a disaster has happened. The person can tell Facebook he or she is OK, or that the last known region is not correct. In addition, other users can see if their friends are safe or not. Facebook says it will work with local authorities to decide what counts as a disaster.