Facebook Safety Check for Pakistan malfunctions

Facebook activated its Safety Check after a suicide bomber in Pakistan left scores dead. But the feature malfunctioned, prompting users thousands of miles from the blast to tell friends they were safe.

Social media was flooded with confused Facebook users who'd received a notification March 27 reading: "Are you OK? It looks like you're in the area affected by The Explosion in Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park, Lahore, Pakistan. Let your friends know that you're safe." It was unclear how widespread the issue was, although it appeared to primarily affect users in the US and United Kingdom. "Unfortunately, many people not affected by the crisis [in Pakistan] received a notification asking if they were OK," a Facebook statement read. "This kind of bug is counter to the product's intent." Facebook said it had "worked quickly to resolve the issue."