Google introduces missing children alerts in US, plans to expand to Canada, Europe:

Google introduces missing children alerts in US, plans to expand to Canada, Europe

Google is rolling out AMBER Alerts in search results and on Google Maps to highlight areas where children have 

Google introduces missing children alerts in US, plans to expand to Canada, Europe

been abducted to assist US authorities in finding missing children.

These alerts are co-ordinated by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the US and come as part of Google’s Public Alerts platform, which delivers a number of emergency alerts to users, such as storm warnings, evacuation notices and other public safety announcements.

Users on both desktop and mobile devices will now see an AMBER Alert icon if they search for information related to a location where such an alert has been issued (ie, where a child was recently abducted). Information on the missing child and other information on the case, such as details on a vehicle involved in the abduction, will also be provided.

^{Screenshot of a test version of an AMBER Alert}

It is hoped that increased awareness of abductions will help in the search for these children. Google is also in talks with Missing Children Europe and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection as it plans to expand this service to more countries.

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Google Adds AMBER Alerts To Search And Maps

Thursday, November 01, 2012 - by Jennifer Johnson

Google's Public Alerts project is designed to deliver emergency messages such as evacuation notices for hurricanes and more. The project delivers relevant weather, public safety, and earthquake alerts when you search on Google, use Google Maps, and when you activate Google Now on an Android device. Recently, Google added AMBER Alert messages to this platform.

Now, if you use Google Search or Maps on a desktop or mobile device, you'll see an AMBER Alert if you search for related information in a location where a child has been abducted and an AMBER Alert has been issued. With this addition and increased visibility of these alerts, Google is hoping more people will assist in the search of children featured in AMBER Alerts.

The AMBER Alerts will provide information regarding the abducted child as well as other details as they are available including vehicle information or information about the alleged abductor. Google is working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to provide the AMBER Alert data.

Google is hoping to scale this service to additional countries and is currently working with Missing Children Europe and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.

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