Facebook Will Add Fundraising Option to 'Safety Check'

Facebook said on Wednesday it would soon allow its US users to raise and donate money using its "Safety Check" feature, to make it easier for people affected by natural disasters and violent attacks to receive help.

"Safety Check," launched in 2014, allows Facebook users to notify friends that they are safe. The feature was used for the first time in the United States last year after a gunman massacred 49 people at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

The fundraising tool in "Safety Check" will roll out in the coming weeks in the United States, Facebook said in a blog post.

The social network, which has about 1.94 billion users worldwide, activated "Safety Check" for users in London on Wednesday following a fire in a housing block that killed at least six people and injured more than seventy.

It also made the tool available earlier this month following deadly attacks on London Bridge.

Facebook also said its "Community Help" feature, which helps people affected by disasters find each other locally to provide and receive assistance, would soon expand to include desktop users.

© Thomson Reuters 2017