US Justice Dep't to Cooperate With Facebook, Bing to Find Abducted Children

Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the US Department of Justice has partnered with Facebook and Bing to expand the reach of the AMBER Alert system.

WASHINGTON, January 13 (Sputnik) — The US Department of Justice starts its partnership with social network Facebook and Bing search engine on distributing alerts about abducted US children, according to the department’s press release published Tuesday.

“[US] Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that – as the nation observes National AMBER Alert Awareness Day – the Justice Department has partnered with Facebook and Bing to expand the reach of the AMBER Alert system,” the release said.

The AMBER Alert system launched in 1996 is an early warning system that helps find and return abducted children across the United States.

“Facebook will now begin sending alerts, along with detailed information and photographs, to its members in designated search areas. And the search engine Bing will begin, allowing users to access AMBER Alerts through its online tools,” Holder was quoted as saying in the press release.

“Finding an abducted child and returning him or her to safety depends on a fast response. The more vigilant citizens we have on the look-out, the better our chances of a quick recovery,” Holder said.

Since its launch, the AMBER Alert system has helped to rescue more than 700 abducted children through radio announcements, highway signs, wireless notifications, and Web posts, according to the US Department of Justice.

AMBER stands for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response and was named after the abducted and murdered 9-year-old girl Amber Hagerman back in 1996.