BANGKOK, Aug 26 (NNN-Bernama) — Meta, the parent company for Facebook, and Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Royal Thai Police launched AMBER Alerts on Facebook and Instagram in Thailand to help find missing children.
Thailand is the 27th country globally and the sixth in Asia Pacific with AMBER Alerts.
In a statement, Meta said the new partnership would deliver AMBER Alerts to people’s feeds in targeted search areas after a child has been abducted and the CIB has issued an alert.
“With this update, alerts will be shown on both Facebook and Instagram feeds to people who are most likely in a position to help within a designated search area determined by law enforcement but will not trigger a notification.
“The alert will include important details about the missing child such as a photo, description, location of the abduction, and any other available information. By sharing the alerts with friends across Meta platforms, people can further spread the word and help galvanize the community,” it said.
AMBER Alerts on Facebook and Instagram starts operating in Thailand on Thursday.
The partnership also to support Thai communities and keep children safe, and follows the success of the global AMBER Alerts on Facebook since 2015. The alerts have assisted in hundreds of successful child endangerment cases in the United States and around the world.
Director of Trust and Safety at Meta, Emily Vacher said said keeping the community safe means everything to the team.
“When a child is missing, the most valuable thing we can do is get information out to the public as quickly as possible. By getting the right information to the right people, at the right time through AMBER Alerts on Facebook and Instagram, we hope to reunite missing children with their families faster,” she said.
Meanwhile, Commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, Royal Thai Police, Pol. Lt. Gen. Jirabhop Bhuridej said: “I believe the launch of AMBER Alerts in Thailand will be an effective tool and provide parents additional peace of mind. Nevertheless, it is important that we inform the public, provide access to these important tools, and educate them on how these systems work, so they can support our investigations as soon as possible”.
— NNN-BERNAMA