Facebook gets backlash for not treating tragedies equally
In wake of the Paris attacks that have left at least 129 people dead, questions have been raised about why Facebook hasn’t given other tragedies the same attention as Paris.
Facebook on Saturday set up a safety check which enables people to check whether or not their loved ones were in the affected areas.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a post;
“My thoughts are with everyone in Paris. Violence like this has no place in any city or country in the world. We’ve activated Safety Check, so if you’re in Paris you can mark yourself safe or check on your friends and family.”
In addition to that Facebook also gave users the option of showing their support by adding the French flag colours to their profile picture.
At least 129 people, including two gunmen, were killed after attackers stormed the Bataclan Concert Hall in the capital where an American rock band was playing.
The attack was one of at least seven individual incidents, including a bombing at an international football match between France and Germany at the Stade de France on Friday night.
Isis has since claimed responsibility for the tragedy.
Many on social media were outraged that the feature had been enabled just for Paris.
For example, a twin suicide bombing killed over 40 in Beirut on Thursday, while terrorist groups like Boko Haram continue to wipe-out Nigerians almost every day — as yet another example of western bias that apparently values certain lives more than others.
Zuckerberg then explained the social media site’s decision to enact Safety Check for the attacks, but not for a deadly bombing in Beirut, in a post on the site.
“Many people have rightfully asked why we turned on Safety Check for Paris but not for bombings in Beirut and other places.
“Until yesterday, our policy was only to activate Safety Check for natural disasters. We just changed this and now plan to activate Safety Check for more human disasters going forward as well,” Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook. Eye Witness News
