UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04

[jfman]

The thing is, the Government (if they wanted to) can still send a message using this system to every phone in an area. They'd just have to use the highest level of alert which isn't optional.

[GrimUpNorth]

Originally Posted by joglynne

I have just visited my local FB account and just had to show you all a great post. Scary knowing that this person lives in my vacinity.

Don't they also post on here?

Not only did I get the alert a couple of seconds before Mrs G, my OnePlus 7pro also read the text out loud too, while her iPhone didn't.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by spiderplant

Remember this?
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/c...s-sms-messages

But as I understand it, the new system is more likely to be used for local emergencies, such as flooding.

I live on the moors.

[peanut]

So the test was a failure, so I'd expect it to be tested again at some point even though El Gov said it was a success. Three network are looking into why it didn't happen. Three or the Gov can't explain why it didn't happen for some.

In the age of social media and 24 hour news, it does seems like a bit of a pointless exercise.

Originally Posted by peanut

So the test was a failure, so I'd expect it to be tested again at some point even though El Gov said it was a success. Three network are looking into why it didn't happen. Three or the Gov can't explain why it didn't happen for some.

In the age of social media and 24 hour news, it does seems like a bit of a pointless exercise.

Not everyone who has a smartphone uses Facebook or Tw*tr regularly, if at all. In a situation where there’s immediate threat to life you can’t rely on someone checking Facebook to find out. What this system is, in effect, is a hard-coded messaging app with uber-push capabilities. It relies on our love of smartphones because that’s what gives it the ability to reach (almost) everyone, immediately. When you look at the TV coverage of people in their local high street yesterday, how many of them would have been checking Facebook or Tw*tr often enough to have got the alert anything like as quickly?

I have no idea whether they declared the test a success because they’re incapable of telling the truth about anything or if they have data from comparable systems elsewhere in the world. Regardless, now they’ve gone down this route I hope they’re committed to doing it properly, even if that means research, improvement and another national test.

[spiderplant]

Originally Posted by Pierre

I live on the moors.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-65346983

[Halcyon]

I got it and was in the middle of a field so received it all well and good.


I do not understandwhy people would want to disable it?!
The only reason would be for people with a hidden phone, such as victims of domestic abuse or other such situations.


However for everyone else, it makes complete sense to leave it switched on.


Anyone thinking it is the government spying on you or hacking into your phone is living in cloud cuckoo land.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by spiderplant

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-65346983

I wouldn't need a text from the government to advise me of that situation. The smoke and big orange glow would give it away.

Originally Posted by Pierre

I wouldn't need a text from the government to advise me of that situation. The smoke and big orange glow would give it away.

Unless it was night-time and you were sound asleep, and the wind was blowing the flames towards you…

Or, there had been a toxic chemical spill near you, and the wind was blowing the fumes your way…

Or, a mains gas feed had been fractured near you.

Or, the local drinking water supply had been contaminated.

Or, there was a terrorist incident near you.

Because the whole point of the emergency alert system is

Emergency Alerts is a UK government service that will warn you if there’s a danger to life nearby.

[jfman]

Originally Posted by Halcyon

I got it and was in the middle of a field so received it all well and good.

I do not understandwhy people would want to disable it?!
The only reason would be for people with a hidden phone, such as victims of domestic abuse or other such situations.

However for everyone else, it makes complete sense to leave it switched on.

Anyone thinking it is the government spying on you or hacking into your phone is living in cloud cuckoo land.

I wonder how many people who disable it will remember to do so every time they upgrade their phone.

Although I agree with the principle of having it switched on I can’t really blame anyone for not trusting this Govermment.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Unless it was night-time and you were sound asleep, and the wind was blowing the flames towards you…

Or, there had been a toxic chemical spill near you, and the wind was blowing the fumes your way…

Or, a mains gas feed had been fractured near you.

Or, the local drinking water supply had been contaminated.

Or, there was a terrorist incident near you.

Because the whole point of the emergency alert system is

So in all those hypothetical, localised, scenarios the government would get a text out to me before the Emergency Services have either assessed the immediate danger and contacted me directly or have contained the situation?

You have a lot a faith in the competence of the government!

No, the text system will not be used for any of the above, and if it is it will probably sent way after the danger has either communicated by another source or dealt with.

What it will most likely be used for is weather warnings and such like, which are already communicated on TV, or if you have the met office app, via that.

[ianch99]

Originally Posted by Sirius

I am on O2 and got it.

I'm on Vodafone and it came through in Morse Code

[jonbxx]

If you are interested, the government does periodic risk assessments of potential incidents that could affect the country. The current document is here.

For lovers of risks assessments, there is a table on page 9 which charts the likelihood and severity of potential events. He highest severity events are a pandemic disease which wouldn’t probably require immediate action and a major CBRN event which definitely would. For the highest likelihood, you have a terrorist attack in a public place which might be helpful to know about ASAP.

Text messages and tv announcements are great but don’t have the ability to localise to the level of the emergency alert system to one mobile phone cell. Imagine a major CBRN event, you could tell people in the zone to hide indoors but people outside of the zone to stay away. Never let humans make judgements about risk if they don’t have all the facts known at that time., we are terrible at it!