A new notification system is expected to aid in the recovery of missing Canadian children.
On Monday, May 25th, Toronto-based Social Horse Power, a social media platform, has partnered with the AMBER Alert program to bring life-saving technology to the forefront of social media users. The system interacts with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to allow social media users to donate their media feeds in the event of an Amber Alert.
Users have the ability to vet the messaging and the information created by Amber Alert and post it directly to the newsfeeds of respective social media applications in the form of a status update. The system is designed as way to facilitate mass distribution of critical information that will aid in the recovery of a missing child.
“The first hours after a child goes missing are crucial to their safety recovery. That’s why it’s important to spread the world,” reads a press release by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
An example of what the new Amber Alert system could look like. (Photo Credit: Facebook).
This system was first introduced in the United States as a means of targeting a defined area with Amber Alert Activation information at the time of a child abduction incident.
“Whether a child has just disappeared or has been missing for decades, your tip may be the key piece needed to assist an investigation or provide answers to a family,” said Christy Dzikowicz, Director of Missing Children Services at the Canadian Centre. “The reality is that individuals out there know something about these disappearances, and we all have a responsibility to do everything we can to help bring these children home.”
The social media application is now available in Ontario and is expected to roll out elsewhere in Canada.
The information will be available through a responsive design poster posted on the OPP website during an Amber Alert. The system will then post a notification on all Facebook users’ newsfeeds within a pre-determined radius of the last known location.
The system was announced in conjunction with International Missing Children’s Day.
Social media users can register for the Amber Alert program here.
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