Mark Zuckerberg Releases Statement on Facebook's Safety Check Following Pakistan Blast

Impact

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg released a strong statement of support and solidarity, after bombings in Pakistan killed at least 60 people at a park in Lahore on Easter Sunday. 

"I believe the only sustainable way to fight back against those who seek to divide us is to create a world where understanding and empathy can spread faster than hate, and where every single person in every country feels connected and cared for and loved," Zuckerberg wrote. "That's the world we can and must build together."

Read more: Suicide Bomber Kills Dozens in Pakistan During Easter Celebration

Zuckerberg also noted that Facebook had activated the social media site's Safety Check feature to allow those in affected areas to notify loved ones of their status.

"Each of these attacks was different," he said, speaking of other recent acts of terror in Belgium and Turkey, "but all had a common thread: They were carried out with a goal to spread fear and distrust, and turn members of a community against each other."

Mic/Getty Images

Facebook — particularly its Safety Check feature — has faced criticism in the past over what critics have said was a sloppy or arbitrary application. In November, the function sprang into action shortly after terrorists attacked Paris, but not for a deadly blast in Lebanon one day prior. Even for Pakistan, the company reportedly experienced glitches resulting in the safety check to accidentally be sent to Facebook users in Europe and the United States.