Facebook Wants to Help Find Missing Children
According to figures from June 2014, Facebook has more than 1.3 billion active users. It is an impressive number, I know. Just imagine the potential for doing good, in general, and for helping find missing children, in particular. That’s what Facebook wants to do! By sending AMBER Alerts to its users, Facebook wants to help find missing children.
“We’re announcing a partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to send AMBER Alerts to the Facebook community to help find missing children,” announced Trust and Safety Manage with Facebook, Emily Vacher. “The new initiative will deliver AMBER Alerts to people’s News Feeds in targeted search areas after a child has been abducted and the National Center has issued an alert.”
What is the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)?
This is a private, non-profit organization that focuses on issues related to missing and sexually exploited children. It assists law enforcement, families, and professionals that provide aid to children. It helps find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation and prevent child victimization.
You can visit the official NCMEC website here.
What are AMBER Alerts?
Child abduction alerts are called AMBER Alerts. AMBER is short for “America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response.” The goal of the AMBER Alert Program is to get the community to help search for and find missing children. Law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the wireless industry voluntarily take part in the program.
You can visit the US Government’s AMBER Alert site here.
How will Facebook help?
People already use Facebook to post news articles about AMBER Alerts and missing children. By partnering with the NCMEC, Facebook is making the social network a bit more useful in this regard. AMBER Alerts are presented to Facebook users directly in their News Feed so they can help spread the word and help find the missing children.
The whole process goes something like this. First up, the law enforcement agencies determine if a case qualifies for an AMBER Alert and determine the target area for the alert. After the NCMEC issues the alert, it is distributed via Facebook, to users in relevant locations.
“We’re announcing a partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to send AMBER Alerts to the Facebook community to help find missing children,” announced Trust and Safety Manage with Facebook, Emily Vacher. “The new initiative will deliver AMBER Alerts to people’s News Feeds in targeted search areas after a child has been abducted and the National Center has issued an alert.”
What is the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)?
This is a private, non-profit organization that focuses on issues related to missing and sexually exploited children. It assists law enforcement, families, and professionals that provide aid to children. It helps find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation and prevent child victimization.
You can visit the official NCMEC website here.
What are AMBER Alerts?
Child abduction alerts are called AMBER Alerts. AMBER is short for “America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response.” The goal of the AMBER Alert Program is to get the community to help search for and find missing children. Law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the wireless industry voluntarily take part in the program.
You can visit the US Government’s AMBER Alert site here.
How will Facebook help?
People already use Facebook to post news articles about AMBER Alerts and missing children. By partnering with the NCMEC, Facebook is making the social network a bit more useful in this regard. AMBER Alerts are presented to Facebook users directly in their News Feed so they can help spread the word and help find the missing children.
The whole process goes something like this. First up, the law enforcement agencies determine if a case qualifies for an AMBER Alert and determine the target area for the alert. After the NCMEC issues the alert, it is distributed via Facebook, to users in relevant locations.
