Facebook Safety Check Activated After Nigeria Blast

Facebook’s “Safety Check” is now available for users in Nigeria looking to let know friends and family they’re safe after a Tuesday blast killed at least 32 people and injured 80.

The feature, recently activated after Friday’s deadly terrorist attacks in Paris, was originally intended for use during natural disasters. But “after the Paris attacks last week, we made the decision to use Safety Check for more tragic events like this going forward,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post. “We’re now working quickly to develop criteria for the new policy and determine when and how this service can be most useful.”

Facebook’s use of the feature after the blast in northeast Nigeria follows criticism of the company for activating Safety Check in the wake of the Paris attacks but not the suicide bombings in Beirut the day before. “We care about all people equally, and we will work hard to help people suffering in as many of these situations as we can,” he explained in a response.

[NBC News]