Facebook’s safety check nowhere to be seen following deadly attacks in Jakarta

Photo credit: downloadsource.fr

During the terrorist attacks in Paris, Facebook quickly activated a feature that let its users tell friends and family they’re safe. People really appreciated the feature, as it seemed like a great way for the social network to leverage its power and help people connect instantly.

Today, multiple explosions rocked Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta. In addition to bomb blasts (believed to be from grenades) there were also reported shootings in the central business district. At least four people have been confirmed dead. Police are certain we are dealing with a terrorist group, because it had received warnings a few months back.

At about 12:30pm Jakarta time, police said at least one attacker was still hiding out in one of the buildings downtown. The total number of assailants is unknown. A New York Times correspondent moments earlier said the attacks were not suicide bombings, which means the attackers remain at large.

The correspondent writes that more shootings are still taking place, though those reports are still unconfirmed.

In Jakarta, our Tech in Asia staff has a 40-person headcount, many of whom were traveling around the city at the time of the attack. We jumped on our phones, Slack, Flowdock, Line, and WhatsApp, in a hurried initiative to account for the safety of every single team member.

One thing is notably missing from this crisis, however, and that’s Facebook’s safety check feature; the same one it deployed in Paris last November. Like Lebanese citizens after the attacks in their capital, many Indonesians today asked themselves, “Hey Facebook, where’s our safety check?”

This is what the safety check feature looks like if it has been activated. Facebook uses it in cases of natural disasters and human disasters, like terrorist attacks.

Facebook has received criticism for activating the feature selectively, and has responded by saying it would activate the feature in other human disasters more often in the future.

The unfolding situation in Jakarta doesn’t seem to come up on Facebook, apart from concerned users reaching out to friends and loved ones. Instead, I’m receiving countless individual messages from friends across the world.

Tech in Asia has reached out to Facebook for comment on the matter and is still awaiting a response.