The project first started in the United States

May 26, 2015 08:51 GMT  ·  By

Following the successful rescue of a Canadian newborn child from the hands of her abductor, all thanks to the photos shared by the parents on the social media platform, Facebook Canada has taken the decision to start broadcasting Amber alerts in the users’ news feeds.

The Amber alert system was first launched in the United States, and although there has been only one case of a missing child who returned to her family, Canada intends to implement the system as they consider that social media can be a useful means to get more people involved in the search.

According to The Huffington Post Canada, these alerts will start appearing in the news feed during the critical hours after the kidnapping and will be received by the users who are in the designated area. This way, if anyone notices something suspicious going on in that particular area, they can alert authorities and retrieve the baby.

The initiators are confident about the project

Emily Vacher, trust and safety manager for Facebook security, has revealed that they came up with the idea after they realized that more and more people use the social networking site to post information about missing people, hoping to make use of Facebook’s incredible speed when it comes to sharing information.

And the social media website is quite effective when it comes to getting to the bottom of things. Since it doesn't require much effort, people are prone to get involved and share a post to take part in a noble cause.

The alerts will be comprehensive, containing all the information that could lead to the identification of the victim, like photos or at least a detailed description. The alerts will be sent to all Facebook users who are in the near vicinity of the place where the abduction has taken place, meaning that they will not have to subscribe or register to receive them.

Given that people spend more time on Facebook than in front of the TV or listening to the radio, the Amber alerts from news feeds are more likely to reach them faster, and a quick reaction is essential in the tracking down of a missing child.