6/11/2017
Facebook plans to share its user data with international aid organizations for when tragic events occur. The social network can track people's movements and its "safety check" feature allows users to indicate on their profile if they are unharmed. Individual identities will not be shared, instead the aggregate data will help response teams determine where to allocate resources during major disasters.
Facebook has been using satellites and artificial intelligence to map parts of the world for years. Originally focused on broadening internet connectivity, their rich data sets will now be shared with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Unicef, and the World Food Programme to offer valuable human insights during times of crisis. Facebook is already an integral part of our daily lives. Using it for "a higher level of good, is really, really nice," says Dale Kunce with the American Red Cross. READ MORE