Facebook will soon be rolling out missing children alert notifications in Australia.

The Amber alert system is often used by law enforcement authorities to send crucial and timely information about suspected abduction victims to the public in the hope tip-offs will help lead them to the child.

Police send out alerts to media outlets who are instructed to broadcast the information frequently. They are intended for time-critical situations where a child is reasonably expected to have been taken and could be in danger.

The Facebook alert will look similar to a normal post in your news feed, but it will ideally include a photograph of the child, a registration number for any vehicle linked to the case and a contact number for authorities. You won’t be able to comment on the post or react but can “share” it to your page or visit a missing person poster through a “learn more” link. The post will appear as the second item in your news feed, reports 9 news.

Any user known by Facebook to be within a 160 kilometre radius of where a child is reasonably suspected of having been abducted will be notified. The search zone will change if there a “credible sighting” of the child elsewhere.

Facebook says the system will be used for children considered to be at the highest level of risk, where police know they have useful information to share with the public. It will also be up to police to provide Facebook with the information quickly.

What a great system to put in place.

What other alert systems would you like to see Facebook put in place?

Share your comments below.