by Playfuls Staff |
23rd January 2007
MySpace.com will enter into a
partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
(NCMEC) to distribute localized online AMBER Alerts via [more] MySpace. In
addition to its traditional distribution methods, the AMBER Alert program will
now benefit from the mass distribution of the MySpace network and provide
rapid, viral support to law enforcement in bringing home an abducted child. The
AMBER Alerts on MySpace go live today.
”When a child is abducted, the
AMBER Alert program is a tool that allows everyone to join in the search. To
date 314 children have been recovered as a result of this program,” said Ernie
Allen, NCMEC president and CEO. “MySpace AMBER Alerts will allow the online
community to be part of a nationwide effort to bring even more children home.
We are grateful that MySpace has agreed to help us distribute these important
alerts.”
The AMBER Alerts on MySpace will
be updated constantly. As soon as NCMEC is notified that an AMBER Alert has
been issued by law enforcement, MySpace will relay that AMBER Alert information
to all users within the zip codes of where the AMBER Alert was issued. The
AMBER Alert notification will appear in a small text box at the top of a
profile, giving users the option to receive additional information such as the
photo and description of the abducted child, suspect and vehicle. Users who
have information on the abducted child or the suspect’s whereabouts should
immediately call 9-1-1.
“AMBER Alerts on MySpace give
users nationwide the opportunity to help in the recovery of an abducted child
in their area—just by logging on,” said Hemanshu Nigam, Chief Security Officer,
MySpace. “We applaud NCMEC and will continue working with industry leaders such
as Ernie Allen and his team to implement creative programs that share the goal
of protecting teens.”
The AMBER Alert program, named
for 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped and murdered in Arlington,
Texas, is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies,
broadcasters, and transportation agencies to activate an urgent bulletin in the
most serious child-abduction cases. The goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly
galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and safe recovery of
the child. Posting AMBER Alerts on MySpace uses the power of the connected
community to provide rapid assistance to law enforcement in recovering an
abducted child.
President Bush authorized the
national AMBER Alert initiative as part of the PROTECT Act signed in 2003. The
law formally established the federal government’s role in the AMBER Alert
program, appointing the Department of Justice (DOJ) as the agency responsible
for coordinating AMBER Alert programs on the national level. DOJ has officially
partnered with NCMEC, authorizing them as the agent that coordinates and
disseminates AMBER Alerts to secondary distributors such as MySpace.
In other news, MySpace today
announced a number new additions to the company’s arsenal of user protections
including mandatory email verification and an “over/ under” privacy tool.
Mandatory email verification requires that all MySpace users register with a
valid email address and all users creating a profile on MySpace will be
required to confirm their new membership via email. The “over/under” blocking
tool expands on privacy features previously available only to younger users.
The over/ under blocking feature prevents users under 18 from being contacted
by users over 18 and it also allows users over 18 to block users under 18 from
contacting them.
