Google has reportedly admitted that its early warning system failed to accurately detect and alert citizens during the deadly 2023 earthquake that killed thousands.
Reports suggest that Google could have sent a warning to ten million people within 98 miles of the epicentre, giving up to 35 seconds’ notice to find safety.
The system only managed to send 469 “take action” warnings after the first 7.8 magnitude quake.
Google told reporters that half a million people were sent a lower-level warning, which is designed for light shaking rather than detecting more intense tremors.
The system, according to Google, works on Android devices, which account for almost 70 per cent of phones in Türkiye.
On 6 February 2023, Türkiye was hit by one of the deadliest earthquakes in its history, which left more than 55,000 people dead and more than 100,000 injured. The majority of the victims were sleeping when two back-to-back quakes struck the country.
A Google spokesperson said, “We are working to improve the system based on what we learn from each earthquake.”
Google’s system, named Android Earthquake Alerts (AEA), can detect shaking through the vast number of mobile phones that use the Android operating system.
Because earthquakes move relatively slowly through the Earth, a warning can then be sent out.
Google’s most prominent warning is called “Take Action”, which sets off a loud alarm on a user’s phone, overriding even the Do Not Disturb setting.
Meanwhile, researchers at Google said that after analysing the Türkiye quake, the system has since been improved, with AEA pushing out alerts in 98 countries since 2023.
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