Google uses Person Finder to help locate people in wake of Boston bombings

Google has rolled out a special version of its Person Finder service following two explosions which took place near the finish line of the Boston Marathon today.

The service allows people to state that they’re looking for people who they believe to be missing or to provide information they might have on someone.

The two lists can be cross-referenced, allowing for people looking for missing loved ones to find them more easily and avoid unnecessary chaos and anxiety.

People looking to aid in the management of the disaster can embed Person Finder onto their site as well as download and upload data to it.

The service was last put to use in the wake of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami which rocked the coast of Japan in 2011.

All data entered will be available to the public and viewable and usable by anyone. Google cautions that it does not review or verify the accuracy of this data.