By Facebook is under fire for an epic fail.
Thousands of Facebook users have pledged to deactivate their Facebook accounts, or turn their profile pictures red, in an effort to draw attention to the Assad regime’s shameless slaughter of Syrian civilians in Aleppo.
Nine days of indiscriminate bombing, culminating in nearly 30 airstrikes–including attacks on medical facilities–have left hundreds of civilians dead, and many more homeless, forcing families to flee.
The hashtags #MakeFacebookRed and #AleppoIsBurning have been used to highlight the horrific bombardment.
Facebook has been criticized for their response–or lack thereof–to the carnage. In the aftermath of the recent Paris and Brussels attacks, the popular social media website initiated a Safety Check, which is a way for users to mark themselves as “safe,” so that family and friends don’t have to fret. However, Facebook failed to initiate the Safety Check for users in Aleppo.
In a “Sorry not sorry” style statement made in November 2015, when Facebook was criticized for their selective use of the Safety Check feature, Facebook said that “during an ongoing crisis, like war or epidemic, Safety Check in its current form is not that useful for people: because there isn’t a clear start or end point and, unfortunately, it’s impossible to know when someone is truly ‘safe’.”
The war in Syria is definitely “ongoing,” as it’s now in its sixth year. So far, the deadly conflict has killed an estimated 400,000 people and displaced millions, resulting in a refugee crisis.
Another round of peace talks is slated to begin later this month in Geneva…but in the meantime, how many more must die?
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#AleppoisBurning: Tell Politicians to Drop Mics, Not Bombs
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This Video Sheds Light on What It’s Really Like on the Frontline of the Refugee Crisis
Its a fair point.
If you can be marking yourself as ‘safe’ on FB while in Aleppo, then be killed horribly in any minute of the next day, week, month or year the notification becomes somewhat meaningless.