Facebook to help you donate blood with tool used in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Brazil - Business …

Facebook has a blood donation tool in 4 countries that lets users give and ask for blood by way of a feature akin to the “ask for recommendations” tool. The company is gearing up to launch the tool in the US within the next few months, the project lead told Business Insider ahead of a public event at its Silicon Valley headquarters on Thursday. Roughly 35 million people have already signed up with the tool across Brazil, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan since it launched there roughly two years ago, the project lead said. Last September, Business Insider reported exclusively on issues with the platform in India, where local experts alleged that its person-to-person format was contributing to a black market for blood. With the US version of the tool, individuals won’t be able to request blood. Only blood services providers like hospitals and the Red Cross will be equipped to do so.