“Much like Facebook and Instagram’s agreement to curb illegal gun sales on their platforms last year, today’s announcement shows that responsible technology companies can use innovation not only to protect their own users, but also to enable users to help their own communities,” Schneiderman said in a statement. “Seven hundred twenty eight children have been saved by AMBER Alerts so far — there’s no telling how many more we could save if every social media site followed Facebook’s lead. I urge those sites to join with us and help serve the public to their fullest capacity.”
Facebook’s new system will allow the social media website to send an AMBER Alert directly to the mobile phones of people in the designated search areas when a child has been abducted.
The alert will include important details about the child such as a photo, description, location of the abduction, and any other available information that can be provided to the public to aid in the search. People will also have a direct link to the most up-to-date information about the case and, importantly, will be able to share the alert with friends.
"For most people, these alerts will be rare because they will only go to people who are in a position to help – those specifically within the designated search area," Facebook Safety, Trust and Security Manager Emily Vacher said in a statement. "If you get an alert on Facebook it means there is an active search for a missing child going on around you."
More than 180 Amber Alerts are sent out each year. The chances of finding a missing child increase when more people are on the lookout – especially in the first few hours. The goal of the Amber Alert program is to quickly galvanize the entire community in the search and recovery of a missing child.
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