U.P. police, Meta collaboration saves 457 from committing suicide

A total of 457 people’s lives were saved from committing suicide with the help of Meta, the company which owns social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram, in a period of approximately 1.5 years, according to a press note from UP Police shared on Wednesday.

In their statement, state police officials highlighted their swift response to suicide-related posts on social media platforms, aided by information from Meta Company. From January 1, 2023, to June 15, 2024, they informed victims and their families promptly, effectively preventing suicides through direct communication.

Under this system, whenever a suicide-related post appears on Facebook or Instagram, Meta Company headquarters immediately alerts the police social media centre via phone and email. The headquarters’ Social Media Centre, operating 24x7, acts swiftly upon receiving these alerts. Integrated with the UP STF server, it identifies the post’s author’s location and forwards the case to UP-112 and the relevant district for immediate action. UP-112 or local police then reach out to the victim and their family using the location provided by Meta.

During the period from January 1, 2023, to June 15, 2024, the Social Media Centre received approximately 740 alerts from Meta Company, resulting in the saving of 457 lives. In other instances, challenges such as unclear or densely populated locations, cases originating from other states, or phones being switched off prevented local police from reaching the victim.