Social media sharing continues long after Amber Alert ends

When the words “missing child” appear in a Facebook post, many are inclined to share it – sometimes long after the child has been located.

Amber Alerts can sometimes be over within hours of the original post. But if you share the first post and not the update, those reports can keep spreading for days, weeks and even months after a child is found. 

That is why police services like the RCMP have a policy to delete names and photos after someone is found. They want the public to be diligent, double-checking for updates before clicking to re-tweet or hitting the share button on Facebook.

Mandy Maeir works in communications for Saskatchewan RCMP and handles their social media accounts. She says Facebook and Twitter have become great tools for police forces to enlist the public’s help to find missing people.

In one recent case, Maeir says a report of a missing woman in Yorkton reached 20,000 people from an RCMP social media account with more than 2,400 followers.

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“As you share it through social media, a wider base learns about the missing person,” Maeir said.

“As well, maybe that person is unaware that they have been reported missing, so seeing that information on social media might be enough for them to call and say, “Wait a minute. I’m not missing.’ So another way to reach the public is great.”

Once a person is safely located, police have to protect privacy, particularly in the case of children.

“We delete any posts in regards to missing persons’ cases once those individuals have been found, so we delete it off our social media and off our website,” Maeir said.

They take off photos and names, replacing the posts with a general update that the child or adult has been located safe and sound.

Occasionally copied photos can keep circulating online weeks and even months after a person is found.

“We definitely ask the public to be diligent, when you’re looking on social media make sure your information is from credible and reliable resources and sources. We encourage the public to check our accounts as we update them. They’re not monitored 24/7 but we do update them as soon as we can.”

In most cases, sharing old or false information can be a simple mistake, but not always.

Every so often you can even see a fake report pop up on twitter or Facebook. One case reported on the hoax site ‘Snopes’ refers to an Amber Alert for a three-year-old girl taken by a man in a grey car.

The message appeals to the instinct to protect children, for example using the phrase “you would share if she was your child” or “it could save her life.” Police want people to be wary of fake reports like that one.

“We have had instances where there have been false reports of an Amber Alert or a missing person and we can and we have posted that these are false reports,” Maeir explained.

If the information is intentionally misleading to the public or the investigation itself, Maier says there is a potential for criminal charges.

She cautions people to double check with a reliable police or mainstream media source to confirm the information is up to date before you re-tweet or hit share. Another simple and fast way to check is to do a quick internet search because any updated information will be posted instantly.

In the end Maeir says the benefits of using social media far outweigh the potential pitfalls.

news@panow.com

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