Facebook turns on ‘Safety Check’ after Orlando shooting

Facebook has activated its Safety Check tool in the wake of the horrific mass shooting in Orlando, Florida earlier today.

The tool enables people in the area to let their friends and family know they’re safe, in the event of phone lines being busy. Safety Check was activated today after a man with an assault rifle killed at least 50 people inside a gay nightclub in Orlando, possibly the deadliest mass shooting in US history.

Safety Check has, unfortunately, seen major use in the recent past. It was activated earlier this year after terrorists bombed an airport and subway in Brussels, as well as November last year during the Paris terror attacks. The Paris incident was the first time the Safety Check tool was activated for a terrorism incident, having been previously reserved as a response to natural disasters.