MoI and Meta Launch Smart Alert Service to Search for Missing Children

MoI and Meta Launch AMBER Alerts

The Ministry of Interior in cooperation with Meta company launched Wednesday "Mafqoud / Missing" service which is also known as "AMBER Alert" which will help people in finding missing children through notification system on Facebook and Instagram platforms.

The first of its kind service in the Middle East and North Africa on the two platforms - Facebook and Instagram - comes in the context of the continuous efforts of the Ministry of Interior to consolidate security and public safety in the State of Qatar, which is the safest country in the world according to the Security Index for the year 2022, issued by the worldwide database (Numbeo).

The service also aims to provide all available resources and options to enable society members to contribute to maintaining enhanced security in their communities including harnessing advanced technologies, utilizing the available platforms to serve this purpose, and facilitating their cooperation with the competent authorities when they receive a "Mafqoud / Missing" notification via Instagram and Facebook platforms.

Meta company has started providing this service on Instagram globally since June 2022, after the service's success on Facebook platform.

The globally know as "AMBER Alert" service works on Facebook and Instagram platforms sending alerts that appear to all subscribers within a radius of 160m, about missing children.

According to the mechanism of action of the two platforms, these alerts are widely shared between users and their friends, using the capability of social media platforms in reaching a large number of users which contributes to accelerating the process of identifying the missing child in a record time especially since the majority of these cases occur more often in places with the large crowd.

During a press conference attended by Director General of Criminal Investigation Brigadier General Jamal Mohammed Al Kaabi, Director of the Public Relations Department at Ministry of Interior Brigadier Abdullah Khalifa Al Muftah said that the ministry is keen to make proactive efforts to ensure that crimes of all kinds are kept to a minimum, noting that adopting a proactive approach is what keeps the State of Qatar at the forefront of the safest countries in the world.

He elaborated that this cooperation between the Ministry of Interior and Meta company followed a series of meetings between the two sides to provide a service related to childhood and the safety and security of children.

He pointed out that the task of the work team at the Ministry of Interior starts from the moment of receiving the case report (missing child) and then quickly passes it to the company until it is published on the Instagram and Facebook platforms.

For his part, Assistant Director of the Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department Major Madawi Saeed Al Qahtani stressed that the State of Qatar is always keen to establish security and peace around the world at all levels. He said that this new step represented in "Mafqoud / Missing" service is part of its support to establish safer societies for children.

He added that this service is another effort in the context of ministry's broader and more comprehensive efforts to maintain the security of both citizens and residents especially with the approaching date of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

For her part Director of Trust and Safety at Meta Company Emily Vacher, said that the State of Qatar is the first country in the Middle East and North Africa region to launch this smart alert on the Facebook and Instagram platforms at the same time. She stressed the company's keenness to cooperate with the Ministry of Interior and strengthen this constructive partnership.

For her part, the Head of Public Policy North Africa and the Gulf Cooperation Council at Meta Company Shaden Khallaf said that Meta launched "AMBER Alert" Wednesday in Qatar in cooperation with General Department of Criminal Investigation at the Ministry of Interior which enhances the cooperation between the two sides in this such vital matter related to children.

She elaborated that Facebook and Instagram platforms have high usage rates and primarily image-based which makes them ideal for "AMBER Alert" application.

She added that the company is aware of the importance of photos in searching for missing children, and by expanding the reach across Facebook and Instagram, we can reach more people, and increase the chances of finding children faster.

(QNA)