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Facebook safety check used for first time in US

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For the first time in history, Facebook activated its safety check on American soil, after a gunman walked into a nightclub in Orlando and killed 49 people. 

Safety checks are activated by Facebook when a major crisis happens in the city you are currently listed in on the social media website. The safety check allows you to check with friends and relatives to see if they are ok. 

Only a handful of safety checks have been activated since the online feature began in 2014. Among them - the Paris terrorist attacks and Typhoon Ruby in the Philippines.

In the past, Facebook has been criticized for not activating safety checks during large-scale emergency situations.