Facebook To Introduce Amber Alerts In Users News Feed

Facebook is going to include Amber Alerts in the news feed - a new initiative that could further improve the child abduction alert system. Facebook will be partnering with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Amber Alerts is a child abduction alert system and most smartphones are already configured out-of-the box. However, Facebook could add a more detailed layer to the alerts and social sharing could further accelerate the process in spreading the information.

Amber Alerts on Facebook would include photos and other relevant details of the abduction, such as missing child's photo.

"We know the chances of finding a missing child increase when more people are on the lookout, especially in the critical first hours. Our goal is to help get these alerts out quickly to the people who are in the best position to help," explained Facebook's trust and safety manager Emily Vacher, also a former FBI agent.

The Amber Alert system was first introduced in 1996 after kidnapping and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman in Arlington, Texas and since then, more than 700 children have been found as a direct result of the alerts.

Amber Alerts on Facebook is similar to other social initiatives taken by the social network in the past few months. In October, it introduced a feature called Safety Check - an emergency check-in feature for use during natural disasters. Facebook has also been active in supporting the Ebola fight by prompting users to donate.

Integrating Amber Alerts in the News Feed is a nice reflection of Facebook's ability to apply user information for real-life purposes.