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Putting Safety in Your Hands: FBI Launches iPhone App To Help Find Missing Children


You’re shopping at the mall with your children when one of them suddenly disappears. A quick search of the nearby area is unsuccessful. What do you do?

The following is from the FBI:

Now there’s a free new tool from the FBI that can help. Our just launched Child ID app—the first mobile application created by the FBI—provides a convenient place to electronically store photos and vital information about your children so that it’s literally right at hand if you need it. You can show the pictures and provide physical identifiers such as height and weight to security or police officers on the spot. Using a special tab on the app, you can also quickly and easily e-mail the information to authorities with a few clicks.

The app also includes tips on keeping children safe as well as specific guidance on what to do in those first few crucial hours after a child goes missing.

We encourage you to share the word about this app with family and friends, especially during upcoming activities in your communities to raise awareness on crime and drug prevention. For its part, the FBI is working to publicize the app with the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA)—its long-time partner in the National Child Identification Program, which provides a physical kit to gather your child’s pictures, fingerprints, personal characteristics, and even DNA to keep with you in case of emergency. The AFCA is producing a public service announcement about the app and will spread the word at various football games during the upcoming season.

Right now, the Child ID app is only available for use on iPhones and can only be downloaded for free from the App Store on iTunes, but we plan to expand this tool to other types of mobile devices in the near future. And we’ll be adding new features—including the ability to upload other photos stored on your smart phone—in the coming weeks and months.

An important note: the FBI (and iTunes for that matter) is not collecting or storing any photos or information that you enter in the app. All data resides solely on your mobile device unless you need to send it to authorities. Please read your mobile provider’s terms of service for information about the security of applications stored on your device.

Put your child’s safety in your own hands. Download the FBI’s Child ID app today.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)



3 Responses

  1. “Put your child’s safety in your own hands.” ? ! RBSh”O! As far as I am aware, the ONLY thing that is completely in OUR hands is our yiras Shomayim. Otherwise ha’kol bi’dei Shomayim.

  2. and what happens if someone steals your iphone? they just got all information of your children & even a picture of each one C”V who knows what somdeone can do C”V its the open opportunity for someone to make a ransom, all he needs to do is look up owners address & he has a picture of a child to take C”V & put up for ransom.

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