When the Facebook safety check business hit Cape Town during the storm, ridicule followed close behind.

There were many, many people affected by the storm, but ticking that safety check opened you up to some easy pot shots.

Like this, from The Kiffness:

We’re watching Showmax, actually, but we see your point.

Now the fire that ravaged the Grenfell Tower building in London yesterday (HERE) is no laughing matter, with 12 people confirmed dead and more than 65 injured.

The Safety Check feature was activated and, as Mashable lays out, it was met with a predictable response:

This is just the latest example of the safety check-in feature not doing what it intends to do: assure your network and community you are safe from a natural disaster or emergency.

Instead it makes it seem that people who haven’t marked themselves as “safe” on the social network might be affected or involved in the fire. Chances are in a sprawling city like London they were nowhere near the blaze.

I imagine most people have the city where they live listed on Facebook, rather than the particular suburb, and the wide net Facebook casts with the Safety Check is then pretty off point.

An unnamed Facebook spokesperson responding to the criticism – I’m sure they have a name, it’s just not mentioned in the story:

“We’re working to improve Safety Check so we’re better at prompting people in the affected area to mark themselves safe.”

To check safe or not to check safe – that is the question.

[source:mashable]