Some Californians claim X stopped them from seeing Amber Alert for missing 14-year-old

Earlier this week, an Amber Alert was issued to phones in the Los Angeles area for a 14-year-old girl believed to have been abducted. However, instead of providing key details within the notification, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) linked the alert to a post on its X account (formerly Twitter).

This practice has been in place since 2018, but this time, many people were unable to view the alert because X required users to sign in to access the content.

The CHP acknowledged the issue and informed WIRED that they had contacted X for more information. “We’re looking into it,” said Sergeant Dan Keane. X did not provide a comment on the matter.

Amber Alerts are critical tools issued by local authorities to help locate missing children at risk of harm. In California, the CHP’s Emergency Notification and Tactical Alert Center is responsible for these alerts. While the agency has used X for years without reported problems, this incident highlighted a new barrier to accessing vital information.

Frustrated residents took to other platforms like Reddit, Threads, and Bluesky to express their concerns. On Reddit, one user wrote, “This should be illegal… If that alert was for my child and tons of people couldn’t see it because they don’t have a stupid X account, I would be beyond infuriated.” A Threads user added, “Why should a social media platform benefit from people trying to stay informed about missing kids?”

Some users noted they could view the alert without logging in, as the CHP used a Bitly link to share the post. However, it remains unclear how many people were able to access the information versus those who were blocked by X’s log-in requirement.

With only 21% of US adults reportedly using X, according to the Pew Research Center, the reliance on the platform raises questions about its effectiveness in reaching a broad audience during emergencies.

This incident comes amidst ongoing concerns about X’s reliability for emergency communications, which have grown since Elon Musk acquired the platform. Following Musk’s takeover, X saw widespread layoffs and significant changes to its moderation and verification policies. These shifts have left some worried about the platform’s ability to handle critical alerts effectively.

Amanda Lee Hughes, a computer science professor at Brigham Young University who studies digital emergency communications, commented on the issue. “Requiring a login creates accessibility challenges and raises concerns about digital equity. Everyone should be able to access life-critical information, regardless of whether they use a specific platform,” she said.