In the aftermath of the Paris terrorist attacks Friday that left at least 129 dead, Facebook helped users express their sympathy for those affected by activating a tool that superimposed the French flag over their profile photo with one click.
The filter has proved popular, and news feeds have been filling up with the red, white and blue of the flag, but some are questioning Facebook's selective show of support.
France was not the only country where tragedy has occurred in recent days. On Thursday, a double suicide attack rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut leaving more than 30 dead. On Twitter, some have begun questioning why Facebook is actively encouraging users to show their support for France but not for Lebanon.
Although not native to Facebook's website, for those users interested in supporting additional countries in crisis, an easy-to-use alternative exists.
If you'd like to change your Facebook or Twitter profile picture to support both France and Lebanon, or any other country where violence and terror is disrupting the lives of citizens, you can use the LunaPic tool.
1. Simply choose the desired flag overlay
2. Upload your profile photo
3. You can show support for two countries at once
4. Then save and upload to social media
In what has been considered further evidence of double standards on the part of Facebook, the company activated its "safety check" feature in Paris — a tool that lets users in disaster areas notify friends they're safe — but did not in the Lebanese capital. Paris was the first time "safety check" has been activated in circumstances other than a natural disaster.
The company's CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in apparent response to the criticism, has said in a Facebook post "safety check" will be activated "for more human disasters going forward."
In response to Mashable's request for comment about why the flag tool was not also created for Lebanon, a Facebook spokesperson said: "We're offering our community the chance to change their profile pictures to show support for France and the people of Paris."
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