Facebook turns on Safety Check in the wake of Brussels attacks, but doesn't explain delay

Facebook has finally turned on its Safety Check feature following this morning's attacks in Brussels.

It took more than two hours for Facebook to switch on the feature. Criticism began mounting on social media as people we unable to contact friends and relatives, with mobile signal down around the affected area.

The feature was switched on almost instantly after the November 2015 Paris attacks, however Facebook came under criticism for not activating it for the Beirut bombing a day prior. Paris was the first time the feature was used for a non-natural disaster.

Facebook contacted us today to alert us that the feature was active (moments after we'd seen it appear on the social network) but didn't explain the reason for the delay.

Techradar understands that Facebook currently does not have a hard policy regarding when Safety Check should be used and is still trying to understand when activating the feature is most effective.

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