Missing child alerts to become part of all Dutch Facebook timelines

DutchNews.nl, June 19, 2015

Photo: Amber Alert

Amber Alerts for missing children will be automatically placed on all Facebook pages in the Netherlands, thanks to a new agreement between the social media platform, police and the hotline organisation, the Telegraaf reports on Friday. 

Amber Alerts are currently shown in the timelines of people who have ‘liked’ the warning system, but that is now set to change, the paper says. 

The Amber Alert will be placed at the top of every Facebook user’s timeline for 12 hours when they log in for the first time. The aim, the paper says, is to ensure missing children are found more quickly. 

Facebook has been working with the Amber Alert operations in the US since the beginning of this year. This is the first European agreement. 

Amber Alerts are issued three to four times a year in the Netherlands and are also spread via mobile phone apps, text messages, emails and motorway information boards. 

They are only used for the most urgent cases, the organisation says.