Public Response to Alerts and Warnings Using Social Media and Associated Privacy Considerations: Current Knowledge and Research Needs

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Crises are complex and dynamic events in which the members of the public need accurate, timely information about the event and what actions they should be taking. Alerts are used to indicate that something significant has happened or may happen. Warnings, which typically follow alerts, provide more detailed information. The Warning, Alert, and Response Network (WARN) Act of 2006 established a national system using wireless communications. Since then, social media have emerged as a new medium for alerts. The social aspect leverages the trust people place in their connections and ae often viewed as more credible than a mass alert or news report. Use of social media by other than social contacts raises privacy issues, since they can be readily monitored, even though the social media have certain privacy expectations. Although alert and warning issues have been extensively studied and social media have been the subject of research in computer science and the social sciences, relatively little is known about the use of social media for national alerts and associated privacy considerations. Developing a fuller understanding of the privacy issues and other aspects of social alert systems will be the focus of two workshops at the National Academy of Sciences. This will support an understanding of current and emerging research issues and key needs. Emerging stakeholders will also be identified and participate. Workshop summaries will be made publicly available and disseminated broadly to emergency managers, as well as to the relevant research communities.