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Facebook To Post Amber Alerts

PALO ALTO (KCBS) – Social media giant Facebook is looking to get in the business of saving lives, as Amber alerts will now be available on the company's website.

The child-abduction alert system, which is used by law enforcement, broadcasters and transportation departments, had previously only been available to Facebook users through their local law enforcement agencies' pages on the website.

"The Amber alert was born out of a simple concept: to use the emergency alert system for the most serious child abduction cases," said Ernie Allen with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

KCBS' Rebecca Corral Reports:

He said 525 children have been recovered in the 15 years the Amber alert system has been up and running.

KCBS Technology Analyst Larry Magid said Facebook users who want to receive the alerts must sign up on the website.

"It definitely is opt-in. You can also share the page with your friends or add it to your favorites," Magid said. "You're only going to get alerts if they apply to the states where you sign up."

Thursday is the 15th anniversary of the kidnapping and murder of Amber Hagerman, the namesake of the program who was 9 years old when she was killed.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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