Summary
Google admitted that its earthquake alert system did not work properly during the February 2023 earthquake in Turkey. Instead of sending high-level alerts to millions of people as intended, only a few received warnings of severe shaking. Google is working to improve the system after identifying problems with its alert calculations.
Key Facts
- Google's earthquake alert system did not send high-level alerts to 10 million people during Turkey's earthquake in February 2023.
- Instead, 469 "Take Action" alerts, which are meant for severe earthquakes, were sent out.
- Half a million people received a lower-level alert meant for lighter shaking.
- The system runs on Android phones, which are used by over 70% of people in Turkey.
- More than 55,000 people died in the earthquake, with over 100,000 injured.
- Google admitted the system underestimated the earthquake's strength, wrongly identifying it as between 4.5 and 4.9 magnitude instead of 7.8.
- After the earthquake, Google updated its system's algorithm for better accuracy.
- Future simulations after the update showed the system would generate 10 million "Take Action" alerts for such strong earthquakes.
