Google alert failed to warn people of Turkey earthquake

Google's earthquake informing strategy failed to get to galore Turkish residents earlier February's deadly tremor, a BBC Newsnight probe has found.

Google says its alert strategy tin springiness users up to a minute's announcement connected their phones earlier an earthquake hits.

It says its alert was sent to millions earlier the first, biggest quake.

However, the BBC visited 3 cities successful the earthquake zone, speaking to hundreds of people, and didn't find anyone who had received a warning.

The strategy works connected Android phones, fundamentally immoderate telephone that isn't an iPhone. Android phones, which are often much affordable, marque up astir 80% of the phones successful Turkey.

"If Google makes a promise, oregon makes an implicit promise, to present a work similar earthquake aboriginal warning, past to me, it raises the stakes," says Prof Harold Tobin, manager of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.

"They person a work to beryllium capable to travel done connected thing that is straight related to beingness and limb."

Google's merchandise pb connected the system, Micah Berman, insisted it had worked. "We are assured that this strategy fired and sent alerts," helium told the BBC.

However, the institution did not supply grounds that these alerts were wide received.

After the archetypal large 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck successful the aboriginal hours of the morning, different large tremor shook the surrounding country astatine lunchtime.

The BBC was capable to find a constricted fig of users who received a informing for this 2nd quake.

Google's Android Earthquake Alert System was announced successful Turkey successful June 2021.

The strategy is operational successful dozens of countries astir the world. The institution describes the quality to nonstop quake alerts arsenic a "core" portion of its Android service.

It works by utilizing Android's immense web of phones. Smartphones incorporate tiny accelerometers that tin observe shaking.

When galore phones shingle astatine the aforesaid time, Google tin pinpoint the epicentre and estimation the spot of a quake. Google has made an explainer connected however it works.

When an earthquake of magnitude 4.5 oregon greater is detected, the Android strategy tin nonstop a warning.

"This is an alert dissimilar immoderate you've astir apt seen connected your telephone before. It takes implicit your telephone screen," Mr Berman says.

The informing says "drop, cover, hold" and is accompanied by a large alarm.

It should besides override a user's bash not disturb mode automatically, truthful you don't request to power it on.

"No substance what authorities your telephone is in, you should get that warning," Mr Berman says.

Google claims the strategy successfully sent alerts connected 6 February to millions of people.

How overmuch informing radical should person got from Google would beryllium connected however acold distant they were from the earthquake, Mr Berman explains. A connection travelling implicit the net tin question overmuch faster than the waves of an earthquake travelling done the earth.

"Sometimes [the warning] mightiness beryllium a 2nd oregon a fraction of a second, sometimes it mightiness beryllium 20 oregon 30 seconds, sometimes it mightiness beryllium 50 oregon 60 seconds," helium says.

Despite extended reporting crossed the earthquake portion successful the hours, days and weeks aft the quake, no-one mentioned getting an alert to the BBC.

So we began to hunt specifically for radical who had got the warning.

Our squad travelled to Adana, Iskenderun and Osmaniye, cities betwixt 70km (43 miles) and 150km (93 miles) distant from the epicentre.

We spoke to hundreds of radical with Android phones.

Although we managed to find a tiny fig of radical who had got an alert for the 2nd earthquake, we couldn't find anyone who got a informing up of the first, astir almighty quake.

In Iskenderun, we spoke to Alican who mislaid his grandma erstwhile a infirmary collapsed. He says helium had received the alert before, but helium didn't get it this time.

We enactment our reporting from the earthquake portion to Google's Mr Berman.

He said: "It's possible, fixed the monolithic interaction of the archetypal event, that this conscionable softly happened successful the background, portion users were truly paying attraction to tons of different things. At the extremity of the day, I deliberation that's astir apt the astir apt explanation."

But the radical we spoke to were adamant that nary arrived.

Funda, who has been surviving successful a impermanent structure encampment since the quake, says she mislaid 25 members of her family.

"We virtually dumped radical into the ground. My brother-in-law and nephew were buried hugging each other," she says.

She owns an Android telephone but told america she was "certain" she didn't get an alert.

After an earthquake you would expect radical to station connected societal media that they had received a warning. This is communal successful different countries wherever quakes person occurred since Google's strategy launched.

"One of the fewer feedback sources that we person is being capable to look connected societal media," Mr Berman says.

And yet aft the archetypal earthquake successful Turkey, societal media was unusually quiescent - thing Mr Berman accepts.

"I don't person a resounding reply for wherefore we haven't seen much absorption connected societal media to that peculiar event," helium says.

The BBC asked for information that showed radical had received the notification. The lone evidentiary papers Google shared was a pdf with 13 societal media posts the institution had recovered of radical talking of a informing that day.

So we contacted the authors of the posts.

One was Ridvan Gunturk, who had posted that helium had got a informing successful the metropolis of Adana. However, aft speaking to the BBC, helium clarified that this was for the 2nd earthquake. He confirmed helium had not received an alert for the archetypal earthquake.

In fact, lone 1 of the societal media posts referenced a informing astir the archetypal quake, giving a elaborate account. The BBC has spoken to the writer of the post, but they wouldn't springiness their name.

The writer said they believed they had received an alert, but couldn't beryllium wholly definite of their representation of events astatine the time.

Google besides said it had received feedback from idiosyncratic surveys that accidental the strategy worked. However, it declined to stock this information.

Prof Tobin told the BBC Google's strategy was comparatively new, and could beryllium useful, but that it was important for the institution to beryllium transparent.

"If you are delivering an indispensable beingness information oregon nationalist information portion of information, past you person a work to beryllium transparent astir however it works and however good it works," helium says.

"We're not talking astir an anecdote of, 'oh it's popped up present and there.' These are intended arsenic broad informing systems. That's the full point."

Turkish earthquake adept Prof Sukru Ersoy told the BBC his woman was successful the earthquake zone. She has an Android telephone but did not person an alert.

He says that helium has not spoken to anyone who got a warning.

"If Google's strategy had worked, possibly it could person been precise beneficial," helium says.

"But the strategy not moving successful an important earthquake specified arsenic this 1 begs the question: if this is simply a beneficial system, wherefore couldn't we payment from it successful this large earthquake, 1 of the biggest earthquakes of the past 100 years?"

In a connection fixed to the BBC by Google aft the interview, Mr Berman said: "During a devastating earthquake event, galore factors tin impact whether users receive, notice, oregon enactment connected a supplemental alert - including the circumstantial characteristics of the earthquake and the availability of net connectivity."