Facebook's Safety Check feature now rests solely in the hands of its users

Facebook users no longer need to rely on the social network to activate its main crisis response tool.

Safety Check, which lets you tell friends and family that you're safe during an emergency situation or natural disaster, will now be completely triggered by the community instead of the company itself. Facebook announced the shift at its first Social Good Forum in New York on Thursday.

If enough people are posting about an incident in a given area (using the keyword "earthquake," for example), Facebook will automatically notify those users and ask if they're OK. A user can mark themselves as safe, and then prompt friends to do the same, instead of Facebook sending notifications to everyone in that city or region.  Read more...