Facebook Rolls Out Its Suicide Prevention Tools Globally

Facebook has rolled out its suicide prevention tools globally, including in India. The tools were made available in the US last year in partnership with Forefront, Lifeline, and Save.org. In India, the tools have been rolled out in collaboration with AASRA and Deepika Padukone's The Live Love Laugh Foundation.

The social network said the suicide prevention tools are being rolled out in all languages that Facebookis available in, and in India, this includes Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. For India, the company has also published a Help A Friend in Need guide, which was originally created in partnership with The Jed Foundation and The Clinton Foundation.

http://gadgets.ndtv.com/social-netw...-its-suicide-prevention-tools-globally-849367

 

I heard this on the local public broadcast radio station. FB has noticed that depressed individuals tend to go to the same areas on the internet. After tracking, FB thought it would be helpful to identify theses individuals and provide suicide/depression tools to them. This would prompt them to seek a physicians help.

 

Well, that's kind of nice but also kind of stalkery. It'd be weird if you weren't suicidal and facebook started sending you prevention tools, wonder how they keep it from giving false positives

 

Well, hopefully if it gave a false positive the person would still see a physician. And, after talking with the individual, the physician would tell the person he/she was not clinically depressed and could go on their merry way. No harm, no foul.

 

That's a bit disturbing, but i guess we'll just have to remember that everything we do online can practically be traced in the first place anyway. I have mixed feelings about this, it's interesting that they've thought of this but isn't it a bit presumptuous of them to assert their 'help' like that, what if the person is going to these particular pages for research purposes. lol.

 

That's interesting. Facebook can really prevent suicides because the person who is trying to kill him/herself can be encouraged with positive messages from his/her friends. There is also too much negativity going around on facebook. What I find more interesting os the features have been rolled out in the Indian local languages.

 

That is nice to have tools to prevent suicidal, though I agree with @UpgradeMe , it is creepy that FB is stalking people activity, but yes, whatever we do, we are being watch. If those tools can save lives, then it is good. Those people with suicidal thoughts that go online, to me it mead they still want help or looking for help.

 

Well I have to say that I am not certain of what I expect here, and really what is all being done. I have heard bits and pieces about it - and I know that I am a little late to the party as well - but overall nothing close to definitive or substantial. You surely cannot disagree with the idea though, and I am glad that they are at least trying to help people in a positive way. I am usually not a big Facebook fan but I can say good job here, just curious to see where it goes.