Facebook Adds Read Receipts to Events, Ruined Friendships to Follow

Read receipts have become a standard feature for chat platforms, including Facebook’s own Messenger app. The scourge of modern communication, the confirmations show when a message is viewed (and make it easy to see when a friend is avoiding sending a reply).

Currently, Facebook is “piloting the ability for private event hosts and guests to know whether their friends they invited have seen the event”, the social network told The Daily Dot. “I must have missed the invite”, as an excuse is now dead.

The Daily Dot reports that the social network is bringing the feature to Events, meaning that hosts will be able to track who has seen their invitations – and who has ignored them.

And indeed, it will be known.

Read receipts have been a much-bemoaned feature of Facebook’s messaging app, as well as private groups that have fewer 250 members. Facebook users who are invited guests and want to plead ignorance must elect not to check their notifications tab… ever. It’s been speculated that Facebook could start introducing read receipts to more areas of its platform such as comments, friend requests and wall posts.

Of course, it’s just a test at this point and Facebook could abandon the idea. Facebook’s new addition is in the pilot phase at present, and like most features, will soon be made available to all users.