Facebook accused of ‘selectively sympathizing’ with Paris over Beirut

8 years ago | Posted in: Latest Politics News | 598 Views

Facebook’s decision to implement a “safety check” feature and French flag watermark for profile pictures in response to the Paris attacks, but not after bomb blasts hit the Lebanese capital Beirut a day earlier, has prompted fierce debate online on what many are calling “selective sympathy.”

Soon after the series of deadly attacks hit Paris and claimed at least 129 lives late on Friday, Facebook launched the safety check notification feature whereby Parisians and those in the city at the time could “check-in” and let friends and family members know that they were safe amid the violence.

The social media giant had only previously implemented the use of the feature after natural disasters, recently during an earthquake which hit Pakistan and the subcontinent.

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A day later, Facebook also allowed users worldwide to show their solidarity with victims of the Paris attacks by adding a watermark of the French flag on their profile pictures.

“The reactions concerning the activation of the security check for Paris and not Beirut are seen through a long history of disregard for stories about people in the Middle East North Africa region,” Joe Khalil, an associate communications professor in residence at Northwestern University in Qatar, told Al Arabiya News… see more

source: alarabiya.net

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