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Facebook apologises for major safety glitch

Facebook has apologised after users around the world received a notification asking if they had been affected by the terrorist attack in Lahore, Pakistan.

Safety Check, introduced to the social network in November 2015, can be activated by the company after terrorism attacks or natural disasters.

It identifies users close to the event and sends them a notification “so people in the area can let their friends and loved ones know they’re safe,” founder Mark Zuckerberg explained in a Facebook post.

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After the bombing in Lahore that killed at least 65 people, Facebook activated Safety Check only to have users around the world receive a notification in their language saying: “It looks like you’re in the area affected by The Explosion.”

Users shared screenshots of their notifications on Facebook and on rival social network Twitter.

Some users who had their mobiles linked to their account also received a text message asking them to “Reply SAFE if you’re OK.”

Although Mr Zuckerberg’s post did not address the incorrect notifications, Facebook’s Disaster Response department did post an apology.

“Unfortunately, many people not affected by the crisis received a notification,” the post said.

“This kind of bug is counter to our intent. We worked quickly to resolve the issue and we apologise to anyone who mistakenly received the notification.”

Facebook

The Facebook founder’s message. Photo: Facebook

Facebook

Photo: Facebook

Screen Shot 2016-03-28 at 2.19.26 pm

A screenshot of the message from Facebook.

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