Google steps in with Person Finder to help New Zealand quake victims

Internet giant Google has stepped in to rescue New Zealand earthquake victims with its Person Finder service.

Launched on Tuesday, the Google Person Finder will help victims of the powerful Christchurch earthquake find and reconnect with the missing friends and family members.

On the Person Finder page, the user is expected to select between two options: 'I'm looking for someone' and 'I have information about someone'.

So far, the website has 8,800 records. If the the existing database does not return any results, the users can enter information about the person being searched for. Users can also leave a message for the person.

In the case of a user looking to connect with kin, he or she can leave personal information. Users can also add details of another person to the site.

All data entered is automatically made available to the public and is viewable and usable by anyone, Google said, asserting that it does not review or verify the accuracy of this data.

The Christchurch earthquake tool is the fourth Person Finder service that the search engine behemoth is offering. The service was first created in January 2010 in association with the U.S. Department of State in the wake of the devastating Haiti earthquake. Following that, Google created Person Finder for Chile in February and China in April.