--- title: Why Facebook's Safety Check Was Activated for Paris Attacks description: Mark Zuckerberg explained why the feature was activated for Paris, but not for a bombing in Beirut canonical: https://time.com/4113682/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-safety-paris-beirut/ author: Sarah Begley article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-15T15:28:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:44:19.002Z article:section: Business og:title: Why Facebook's Safety Check Was Activated for Paris Attacks But Not Beirut og:description: "We care about all people equally" og:url: https://time.com/4113682/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-safety-paris-beirut/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3bf6f46149c76e10/698871282dce0151099e680c/zuckerberg.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: INDIA-INTERNET-FACEBOOK-COMPUTERS og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Facebook's Safety Check Was Activated for Paris Attacks But Not Beirut twitter:description: "We care about all people equally" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3bf6f46149c76e10/698871282dce0151099e680c/zuckerberg.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Facebook's Safety Check Was Activated for Paris Attacks But Not Beirut by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Nov 15, 2015 3:28 PM CUT  Mark Zuckerberg speaks at the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi on Oct. 28, 2015. Mark Zuckerberg speaks at the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi on Oct. 28, 2015.Money Sharma—AFP/Getty Images by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Nov 15, 2015 3:28 PM CUT Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained the social media site’s decision to enact Safety Check for the attacks on Paris, but not for a deadly bombing in Beirut, in a [post](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10102475457180761&set=a.743613136151.2308566.4&type=3&source=11&comment%5Fid=10102476159039231&offset=0&total%5Fcomments=23132&comment%5Ftracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R2%22%7D&pnref=story "undefined") on the site. Safety Check, which allows users to mark themselves and others as safe in the wake of tragedies, had previously been activated by Facebook only during natural disasters. It was only after the Paris attack, he said, that the company decided it will be activated “for more human disasters going forward as well.” Many on social media were outraged that the feature had been enabled in [Paris](http://time.com/4113633/paris-attacks-france-isis/?xid=homepage "undefined"), where terrorist attacks killed more than 120 people on Friday, but not in [Beirut](http://time.com/4110241/twin-suicide-bombing-in-beirut/ "undefined"), where more than 40 were killed in bombings the day before. Zuckerberg said people were right to ask about the discrepancy, adding, “We care about all people equally, and we will work hard to help people suffering in as many of these situations as we can.” ### Witness Paris Mourn the Day After Deadly Attacks  The Eiffel Tower turns off its lights in memory of the more than 120 victims the day after the terrorist attack on Nov. 14, 2015 in Paris. Marc Piasecki—Getty Images  Bono and band members from the band U2 place flowers on the pavement near the scene of yesterday's Bataclan Theatre terrorist attack on Nov. 14, 2015 in Paris. Jeff J Mitchell—Getty Images  A woman is comforted by others outside the Carillon cafe and the Petit Cambodge restaurant in Paris on Nov. 14, 2015. Jerome Delay—AP  A man places a candle in front of the Carillon cafe in Paris, on Nov. 14, 2015. Jerome Delay—AP  The interior of the Casa Nostra Cafe, the day after the attacks on the city, on Nov. 14, 2015 in Paris. Christopher Furlong—Getty Images  Burnt motorbikes and bicycles on the corner of Albert Thomas Lancry streets, in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, on Nov. 14, 2015, the morning after the attacks across the city. Maxime Jouy—Newzulu/Alamy Live News  Police forensic experts work on the scene at the Cafe Comptoir Voltaire in Paris, Nov, 14, 2015. Marius Becker—EPA  Police are seen near the Cafe La Belle Equipe at the Rue de Charonne in Paris, on Nov. 14, 2015. Lic Venance—AFP/Getty Images  A pair of abandoned shoes seen left in the street near the Bataclan concert hall the morning after a series of deadly attacks in Paris, Nov. 14, 2015. Charles Platiau—Reuters  Flowers and candles are placed in tribute outside Le Carillon bar, in Paris, on Nov. 14, 2015. Antoine Antoniol—Getty Images The post was a comment on his change of profile picture to one in which the colors of the French flag are overlaid across his photograph. Facebook implemented this tool to allow users to show solidarity with the people of Paris. Read next: [France Mourns and Seeks Clues to Those Behind Deadly Paris Attacks](http://time.com/4113633/paris-attacks-france-isis/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4113682/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-safety-paris-beirut/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4113682/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-safety-paris-beirut/"},"headline":"Why Facebook's Safety Check Was Activated for Paris Attacks But Not Beirut","datePublished":"2015-11-15T15:28:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:44:19.002Z","description":"\"We care about all people equally\"","url":"https://time.com/4113682/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-safety-paris-beirut/","keywords":["Tech","Social Media","facebook","Know Right Now","paris attacks"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3bf6f46149c76e10/698871282dce0151099e680c/zuckerberg.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3bf6f46149c76e10/698871282dce0151099e680c/zuckerberg.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"INDIA-INTERNET-FACEBOOK-COMPUTERS","caption":"INDIA-INTERNET-FACEBOOK-COMPUTERS","creditText":"Money Sharma—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4113682/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-safety-paris-beirut/","name":"Why Facebook's Safety Check Was Activated for Paris Attacks But Not Beirut"}}]}] ```