NEW YORK — Facebook is launching a tool that lets users notify friends and family they are safe during or after natural disasters.
‘‘Safety Check’’ will be available worldwide for the social network’s 1.32 billion users on computers and mobile devices. This includes the basic ‘‘feature’’ phones many people still use to access Facebook, especially in developing countries.
People already use Facebook to tell others they are OK after disasters, but Facebook says Safety Check will make it easier.
The tool grew out of a disaster message board that Facebook engineers created in 2011 after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Once a user activates the tool, it determines the user’s location using the city listed in the profile, the last location that was shared, or the city where the user is accessing the Internet. If a user is in an area affected by disaster, Safety Check will send a query, asking if the person is safe.
If the answer is yes, the person’s Facebook friends will be notified. There’s no option to say no.
Users can also mark their friends as safe, but the friends have to approve it.