Turkish Earthquake: Did Google fail to alert millions of people? What does the company say here

Tech giant Google admitted that its earthquake alert system failed to issue significant warnings before the devastating earthquake of 2023 earthquakes in Turkey, killing more than 55,000 people and injuring more than 100,000 people.Although the Android Earthquake Alert (AEA) system was active at the time of twin quake on 6 February, it failed to recognize the threat scale. Only 469 people received the highest level “take action” alerts of the system, designed to indicate immediate safety measures, although around 10 million people lived within 98 miles.Instead, Google said that a lower -level “conscious” notification was issued to about half a million users, which was aimed at the millers shock and very little noticeable. This does not override the alert settings such as do not disturbs and possibly not paying the most attention, especially as the first earthquake, while many were sleeping.The BBC reported that the Android -word system, which works on more than 70% smartphone in Turkey, initially inspired Google to claim that he had “performed well,” BBC said. However, internal findings showed that the system dramatically reduced the magnitude of the earthquake, it was assessed only on the scale of a moment of 4.5 to 4.9 to 4.9, when it was actually 7.8.Later that day, another big shock also saw inaccuracy. This time, AEA issued 8,158 “action” alerts and about four million “aware” warnings, still lowering the expectations to see the seriousness of the earthquake.A Google spokesperson told the BBC, “We continue to improve the system based on everything we learn in each earthquake.”The AEA uses an accelerometer in Android phones to detect platform ground movement, which aims to give precious seconds to users to react before the arrival of seismic waves. When a strong earthquake is detected, the system should trigger the “action” warning vigorously, which bypasses all other settings and fills the user’s screen.This feature was particularly important in Türkiye, where life could be saved, people received a warning on time before the buildings collapsed. Nevertheless, the months of BBC reporting in Quake Zone failed to highlight a single user, who had received a more serious alert before the first shock.Google has since published a study in Journal Science, which accepts the “boundaries of detection algorithms”. Researchers later launched a modified simulation of 7.8 magnitude earthquakes, which produced a dramatically different result: 10 million “action” alerts and 67 million “aware” be aware of notifications, suggesting problems in basic software design.“The initial warning system of every earthquake struggles with the same challenge – moves towards the algorithm for large quantities of events,” said Google.But the long delay in revealing these flaws has raised concerns among experts.Elizabeth Reddy, assistant professor at the Colorado School of Mines, said, “I am really disappointed that it took so long.” “We are not talking about a small incident – people died – and we didn’t see the performance of this warning the way we would like.”Some scientists are also concerned that the country may rely very much on Google’s alert, potentially neglecting the development of strong public systems.“Will some places calculate that Google is doing it, so we don’t have to do it?” Asked Herold Tobin, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. “I think it’s great that it works well, it is absolutely important.”Google says its platform is meant to support, not replacement, national alert system. Since the 2023 earthquake, it updated the algorithm and expanded AEA to 98 countries.