Canadian wireless Amber Alert system lags behind the US
Posted September 15, 2015 8:02 am.
Last Updated September 15, 2015 8:03 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Immediately after this latest Amber Alert was rolled out across the region, it was broadcast on your radio and started flashing across highway signs and bus boards, but there is a way it could have reached even more people in an instant.
In the US, wireless Amber Alerts have an amazing reach, blanketing a targeted region with vital information within minutes.
In Canada, mobile users can get an alert, but must opt-in to the system first, meaning it reaches only a fraction of the people it would south of the border.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection says Canada is moving in the right direction but the wireless industry and its partners need to work past the hurdles faster.
“I think we are looking at lots of ways to do that,” says Christy Dzikowicz, director of child safety and family advocacy at the Canadian Centre. “For example, Facebook is working very quickly to try and get a push notification system going out to all their users.”
Dzikowicz says people out and about on their cellphones are the best target for an Amber Alert.
“The people we need to reach are on their devices and they’re on their commutes. Certainly, we want it broadcast and we want people following the news but people sitting and watching the 6 o’clock news in their living room aren’t necessarily in a position to help us locate this little girl,” she tells NEWS 1130.
“I think there are a lot of efforts being made. We work with a variety of partners who are willing to engage in this discussion but we need to get past some of the barriers to doing a push notification.”
The Canadian Wireless Telecommunication Association says it is working with regulators on a new push notification system, but suggests it could be a year or more before it is operational.
“The wireless industry and the CRTC are currently looking at a public alerting system similar to what broadcasters do,” says CWTA spokesman Marc Choma. “That may be coming to wireless phones. They are looking at doing a test run of the system sometime in 2016. But the current system remains strictly opt-in.”
Choma does encourage everyone to sign up for Canada’s wireless Amber Alert system — it is free and only takes about 30 seconds.
“Visit WirelessAmber.ca and enter your cellphone number. You will receive a PIN to activate your subscription. You can also text the word AMBER to 26237 to subscribe directly from your mobile device.”
You can also sign up for a number of different styles of Amber Alert at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection’s website.
