Mark Zuckerberg weighs in on wave of terror attacks

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a statement to his Facebook page on Sunday addressing the recent wave of terrorist attacks across the world, expressing his hope to "create a world where understanding and empathy can spread faster than hate."

The statement was posted several hours after the social media platform's Safety Check experienced a glitch that caused it to send alerts regarding the deadly explosion in Lahore, Pakistan to users in Europe and the United States. 

A Facebook spokesperson later told Mashable via email, "Unfortunately, many people not affected by the crisis received a notification asking if they were okay. We worked to resolve the issue and we apologize to anyone who mistakenly received the notification."

While Zuckerberg does mention the Safety Check feature in his statement, he doesn't mention today's glitch. Instead, Zuckerberg's statement focuses on compassion in the wake of Sunday's bombing in Pakistan and mentions recent attacks in Turkey and Belgium.

Read Zuckerberg's full statement below:

In November, following questions around utilizing the Safety Check feature after the Paris attacks but not after terror attacks in Beirut, Zuckerberg pledged that the platform would use the feature in more "human disasters." 

Sunday's statement is the latest in a series that have reflected Zuckerberg's recent evolution from business-focused tech leader into international figure regarding humanitarian issues. 

In December, following the San Bernardino shootings and subsequent call by Donald Trump to ban Muslims from entering the United States, Zuckerberg posted a statement in support of Muslim users and pledging, "we will fight to protect your rights and create a peaceful and safe environment for you." 

In recent months, Zuckerberg has also addressed incidents related to sensitive, political topics like the Black Lives Matter movement, encryption and controversial comments made by another Facebook executive.

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