Google's big admission: Failed to alert millions of the severity of Turkey earthquake
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Google's big admission: Failed to alert millions of the severity of Turkey earthquake")
Google's big admission: Failed to alert users of the severity of Turkey earthquake Photograph: (Credit: AFP)
Google could have alerted users about the severity of the earthquake that struck Turkey in 2023. The company sent a lower-level alert, which does warrant a prompt response. The quake claimed over 55,000 lives.
Tech giant Google has admitted to its massive failure during the 2023 Turkey earthquake. The company's system, which could have alerted people in disaster-prone locations, was ineffective in alerting people about the intensity of the quake. A death toll that mounted to over 55,000 and left more than 100,000 injured, Google alert was sent to 469 people asking them to 'take action'. 10 million people within the 98-mile epicentre could have been a warning. In February 2023, two massive earthquakes struck south-east Turkey, the first one was of 7.8 magnitude.
In its admission, Google told news outlet BBC, 'half a million people were sent a lower-level warning'. This is something that is sent to inform about 'light shaking', and this particularly does not alert users to take prompt action which was the need for the situation that unfolded in Turkey. This comes after the company had boasted about the system having 'performed well' post an investigation the same year. "We continue to improve the system based on what we learn in each earthquake", a spokesperson said.
"Every earthquake early warning system grapples with the same challenge - tuning algorithms for large magnitude events," the spokesperson added.
About Google alerts
Google alerts are available in about 100 countries, and the company calls it a 'global safety net'. The system named Android Earthquake Alerts (AEA). This could have played a huge role in saving lives in a country like Turkey, where 70% of the users have Android phones. When the disaster struck, many were asleep, and the buildings collapsed with the impact of the quake.
The system works on Android devices, which make up more than 70% of the phones in Turkey. More than 55,000 people died when two major earthquakes hit south-east Turkey on 6 February 2023, more than 100,000 were injured. Many were asleep in buildings that collapsed around them when the tremors hit.
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How does it work?
Google's alert system can detect shaking and tremors from Android phones, and this data is later used to send notifications. The highest alert 'Take Action' overrides even if a user has activated the DND (Do Not Disturb) feature. The handsets will sound a loud alarm, which becomes a signal for users to take the notification seriously.
'Be Aware' is another alert, which does not show urgency, and so DND functionality is not overridden.
