The Ministry of Interior (MOI), in cooperation with the Meta company, launched a smart alert feature on the Facebook and Instagram social media platforms which aims to help return missing children to their families.

This service, which is the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa region on the two platforms, comes in the context of the continuous efforts of the Ministry of Interior to consolidate security and public safety in the State of Qatar.

This service, known globally as the Amber Alert system, works on the Facebook and Instagram platforms by sending alerts that appear to all subscribers within a radius of 160 meters, about cases of missing children.

According to the mechanism of action of the two platforms, these alerts are widely shared between users and their friends, taking advantage of the ability of social media platforms to reach large numbers of users. This contributes to accelerating the process of identifying the missing child in record time, especially since the majority of these cases occur more often in places with a large crowd.

Brigadier Abdullah Khalifa Al Muftah, Director of the Public Relations Department of MOI:

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 keeps Qatar at the forefront of the safest countries in the world.

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

For his part, Major Madawi Saeed Al-Qahtani, Assistant Director of the Department for Combating Economic and Electronic Crimes, affirmed the State of Qatar's constant keenness to establish security and peace around the world at all levels. He said that this new step is part of its support for the establishment of societies that prioritizes the safety of children.

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

Ms. Emily Fisher, Director of Security and Safety at Meta, said: 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. She also stresses the company's keenness to cooperate with the Ministry of Interior and promote this constructive partnership in the future.

Ms. Shaden Khallaf, Head of Public Policies for North Africa and the Gulf Cooperation Council at Meta:

"We know that photos are important in the search for missing children, and by expanding our reach across Facebook and Instagram, we can reach more people and increase the chances of finding children faster."

Meta launches today, the AMBER Alert program in Qatar in partnership with the General Department of Criminal Investigation at the Ministry of Interior, which enhances cooperation between the two parties in this important field of child safety.

She explained that the Facebook and Instagram platforms have high rates of use, and rely mainly on images, which makes them ideal for the AMBER Alert program.

Source: Qatar News Agency
Cover image credit: Meta

Follow us on our social media channels: @ILQlive @ILQlive @ILoveQtr ILoveQatar

Cassandra Pallagud

Content Writer

Start a discussion