1. Innovation

Tencent, the Chinese Internet powerhouse known for its QQ instant messenger and 860 million users, has come up with a more effective and innovative way to help these parents: turning the social network into a missing children alert system -- QQ Alert. Under QQ Alert, everyone can be a missing children rescuer in Golden 72 Hours.

2. Data insights

By creatively using data gathering by Location-Based Services technology, QQ instant messenger users located in the same city where the child goes missing, will receive a high-level push message directly on their smartphones, asking for help. They are the key players and most likely to help, to share the information and draw public attention.

3. Originality

QQ Alert creatively uses data gathering by Location-Based Services technology, to turn a social network with 860 million users into a missing children alert system, the first of its kind in China and in the world.

1. Implementation

Once a child goes missing and parents file the case with the police, QQ operation team receives the child’s information directly from the police.

Tencent leverages the latest Location-Based Services technology to automatically identify tens of millions of QQ users located in the same city where the child went missing.

QQ users located within the radius of 120 kilometers will receive a high-level push message on their smartphones, asking for their help.

2. Timeline

QQ Alert sends out push messenger 30 minutes after receives the child’s information from police, and asks for QQ users’ help within the Golden 72 Hours.

3. Placement

In the same city or within 120 kilometers where the child goes missing.

4. Scale

Tens of millions of QQ users will receive QQ Alert's push message each time when a child goes missing.

1. Data driven behaviour change

Since March 2015, more than 288 million users have joined our campaign, and the average click rate of QQ Alert push messages is 30%. So far, we have used QQ Alert to find 54 missing children across China, 12 of whom enjoyed long-awaited family reunions.

QQ Alert turns an entire social network of 860 million QQ instant messenger app users into a missing children alert system. Under QQ Alert, everyone can be a missing children rescuer in Golden 72 Hours.

More than 300 Chinese media outlets, including Xinhua News Agency, China News Service, national TVs, newspapers and websites have reported on QQ Alert, the first service of its kind in China. These reports further encourage the public to rescue more missing children.