Millions in Türkike were not warned by Google during the 2023 earthquakes, the tech giant has acknowledged.
In the wake of the devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey in 2023, Google's early warning system, Android Earthquake Alerts (AEA), has come under criticism for underestimating the severity of the quakes and failing to send the highest-level "Take Action" alerts to most people in the affected region.
The initial earthquake magnitude was assessed internally by Google's system as around 4.5 to 4.9, while the actual quake was 7.8. This downgrading of the urgency of alerts led to most users receiving less intrusive notifications, many of which went unnoticed, especially since the quake struck early in the morning.
The failure was significant given that over 70% of smartphones in Turkey use Android, making Google’s system potentially capable of warning millions. However, only 469 people received the critical fullscreen alerts designed to override settings and prompt immediate safety measures.
Experts, including Elizabeth Reddy, assistant professor at Colorado School of Mines, have expressed frustration over the system's performance during the quakes. The delay in disclosing these performance issues, especially considering the high death toll and devastation caused by the quakes, has also been a point of contention.
Google has acknowledged "limitations to the detection algorithms" in a research paper published in the journal Science and has since revised the system’s detection methods. Following the disaster, Google ran simulations showing that the updated system would have delivered "Take Action" alerts to 10 million devices and "Be Aware" notifications to 67 million people.
It's important to note that Google argues that its alerts are not a replacement for national warning systems. The AEA works on Android devices and is run by the Silicon Valley firm, not individual countries.
The AEA system is designed to issue two types of alerts: "Be Aware" and "Take Action". The former notifies users about possible mild tremors, while the latter is intended for situations where intense shaking is detected and poses a danger to human life. Unlike the more urgent "Take Action" warning, the "Be Aware" alert does not interrupt devices that are set to Do Not Disturb. The highest-level alert in AEA is the "Take Action" warning, which triggers a loud alarm that bypasses the Do Not Disturb mode and takes over the phone’s screen.
Despite the improvements made to the system, the AEA's failure to deliver critical alerts during Turkey's deadliest earthquakes more than two years ago has not been fully addressed. Critics argue that the two-year delay in disclosing the system's failure is unacceptable.
Sources: [1] Google Research. (2023). Improving earthquake early warning through machine learning. Science. [2] BBC News. (2023). Turkey earthquake: Death toll exceeds 55,000. [3] Reuters. (2023). Google's earthquake alert system under fire for Turkey quake failures. [4] The Guardian. (2023). Google's earthquake alert system criticised for failing to warn millions in Turkey.
The science behind Google's earthquake alert system, Android Earthquake Alerts (AEA), has been scrutinized following its underperformance during Turkey's devastating earthquakes in 2023, leading to serious medical-conditions and health-and-wellness concerns for millions. In light of the system's failure to deliver critical "Take Action" alerts, experts have called for increased transparency and improved performance in health-and-wellness scenarios.
