იოInstagram Has released an Amber Alert on Instagram aimed at helping Find the missing girls and boys. This warning is a system of missing juvenile notifications introduced in several countries around the world.

The The name refers to Amber Hagerman, A 9-year-old girl who was abducted in 1996 in Texas, USA and found dead a few days later.

The event is part of the United States and will reach 25 more countries in the coming weeks, including Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, Guatemala, Spain and the United Kingdom.

In most countries it will be known as an amber warning. Some, however, will use a different name that would be related to another iconic case or a relevant aspect of their local history.

In the case of Argentina, for example, he will be known as Alerta Sofía, in his honor Sophia HerreraA 3-year-old girl who went missing in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, in 2008. On the other hand, in Jamaica it will have the name Ananda, referring to Ananda DeanWho disappeared and was later found dead in 2008.

“We have worked with various organizations around the world and here in the United States with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. “(NCMEC, its acronym in English) to start this project,” said Emily Vacher, Director of Meta’s Confidence and Security Dialogue. Infobae.

And he added: “Missing child photography is very important and there is no better platform to share these photos than Instagram. We wanted this initiative to be really well implemented, so we are cooperating with various organizations around the world. “

It should be noted that Amber Alerts was first launched on Facebook in 2015 And in other countries like Argentina, for example, they are available from 2019. This tool is used to find missing minors in different parts of the world.

Vacher has been working in Meta for more than 10 years and previously worked as an agent for the FBI. “As a former researcher, I know that every minute counts when a child is lost. Getting detailed information about the incident – and, most importantly, a recent photograph of a child – for people who are likely to be able to help can make a real difference in the lives of children and their families. That’s why it’s so important to expand Amber Alerts on Instagram and provide the service to more people around the world. “

How does Amber Alert work?

“In each country there is an agency, which can be a governmental or non-governmental entity (According to the agreement signed in each country), which is responsible for sending to different Meta offices around the world Photos of missing minors “Vacher explained.

These Meta Offices are global operating centers designed to accomplish this particular type of task and operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The images are analyzed there and after the process of approving the information received by organizations around the world (in the case of Argentina, the body that sends the photos and data is the Ministry of Security, in the US it is the NCMEC), an alarm is prepared.

“This message will only appear on the Instagram of users who are in the search zone that corresponds to the zone in which the juvenile went missing. “We do not want to send mass messages to the whole world, because if people receive a lot of signals and feel that they can not help, they will no longer heed these warnings,” Vacher explained.

He added that the distance radius, which is considered a search zone, is about 160 kilometers from the place where the juvenile disappeared. Although there may be some variations depending on the type and size of city.

In some cases, this limit may be extended if, for example, it is a larger city. The point is that he Amber Alert is sent to people who are in a specific and restricted search area.

Warning Includes important details about the child, such as a photo, description, place of abduction, and any other available information that may be provided to the public. To assist in the search.

People will also have the opportunity to share warnings with friends to spread the word. And help the public to warn if they find useful information on the subject.

As for face recognition in this device, Vacher stressed that this technology is not used in this initiative. “This does not apply Face recognitionBut share the photo of the missing child with the public ” And help the community to understand this situation and be able to help in the search if it wants to.

As for future plans for this project, Explained that the company will continue to expand the scope of this alarm so that it can reach more countries (Beyond the 26 in which it is running these days) and also trying to optimize the system. So, for example, more photos can be added in the future and other tools can be introduced to facilitate the adequate dissemination of this information.

These warnings will be available on Instagram in the coming days and weeks in 26 countries that are already working on Facebook.: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Ecuador, Greece, Guatemala, Ireland, Jamaica, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, Spain, Spain, Spain, South United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and United States.

Continue reading: