The British government’s controversial emergency alert that plays even on cell phones on silent

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The UK government activated a test siren last Sunday (23/04) as part of a new public alert system to be used in the event of imminent natural disasters or terrorist attacks. UK mobile phones sounded a siren and received a notification at 3pm on Sunday PA MEDIA/via the BBC call at high volume and display an alert message. Even devices on silent mode rang. The siren is part of a government test of a system that will be used to alert the public to life-threatening emergencies such as severe floods, fires and extreme weather, and could also be used during terrorist attacks. The British government’s intention was for all cell phones in the country to sound the siren, but there were technical problems and not everyone sounded the alert, which was accompanied by a message on the device’s screen. The message explained that people didn’t need to take any action, and that the siren was just a test. Even among cell phones that sounded the siren, many rang shortly before or shortly after 3 pm. The government announced beforehand that it would test the warning system. Authorities urged people not to turn off their phones. All Android and Apple 4G and 5G phones are equipped with the ability to send an emergency alert even when in silent mode. Similar systems are already used in other countries, including the US, Canada, Japan and the Netherlands. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said the alert “could be the sound that saves your life”. He said testing the system was “like when the fire alarm goes off at work”. “It can be a little inconvenient and annoying,” he said. “I think in the future people will be grateful that we tested the system” “Government’s number one job is to keep people safe and this is another tool in our kit for emergency situations like floods or wildfires, and where there is a real risk to life.” Criticism However, there were accusations that the emergency alert would be an exacerbated interference of the State in people’s lives. “It’s back to nanny rule – warning us, telling us, coddling us when instead they should just let people get on with their lives and make sensible decisions for themselves,” said Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg , which stated that it would turn off its device during the test. accused of fraud due to technical failures in the IT system. The contract value of the emergency system is estimated at BRL 35 million. Another criticism of the system came from organizations that work with victims of domestic abuse. They say that the alert could reveal the location of secret phones kept by victims People at risk of abuse were advised to turn off, during Sunday’s test, any mobile devices they wished to keep hidden so the phones could not be discovered by an abuser. The siren even sounds on devices in silent mode. “Our concerns center on the very real risk to domestic violence survivors who may have secret or secondary phones hidden within the home, which they must ensure are not discovered by their abusers,” said Emma Pickering, Manager of Technology Abuse Operations of the Refuge organization. “These devices could be a lifeline for women who need to access support or flee their abuser.” Some newspapers have published guides on how to permanently disable your cell phone’s siren. This involves going into some configuration menus and finding the option about emergency alerts. Another way to prevent the siren from ringing is to put your cell phone in airplane mode. On Sunday, some shows and sporting events asked people to turn off their devices so the test would not interfere with performances. A national snooker championship was interrupted for a few minutes so that the test would not cause interference in the competition. Government message on mobile phone warned people that they don’t need to do anything as it was just a PA MEDIA/via BBC test The test also spawned a number of false conspiracy theories shared thousands of times on social media. Many of these involve being sent over 4G and 5G phone towers, which are considered invasive in conspiracy circles. There are false claims that the test would cause death or injury to millions of people. A fake message tells people to avoid the test by going out of towns and cities to “avoid the wave”. Other theories claim that this would be an attempt by the government to control people’s phones. There are also false claims that the alert would be a signal to activate a dangerous pathogen already present in the covid vaccine that would make people sick. Other countries The UK has spent more than ten years planning the trial of the mobile emergency alert system. But other countries — such as France, the United States and Japan — have used something similar for years. In Canada, government agencies can issue alerts to cell phones about natural disasters and public health concerns. But the system doesn’t always work as intended. In 2015, residents of the Canadian province of Manitoba were outraged by a warning about an impending tornado. They complained that the distorted recording of the warning was so gibberish that it mispronounced the names of locations that would be hit by the tornado. South Korea’s first national mobile notification system was adopted in 2005 and is used to issue disaster alerts and provide guidance in emergency situations — including the COVID pandemic. In the early stages, residents were notified daily of the number of new cases in their area, as well as contact tracing information for carriers of the virus to prevent the spread of the disease. But people grew tired of the alert system, criticizing the message overload. According to the Ministry of Interior, more than 145,000 Covid-related text alerts were sent across the country by central and local authorities for three years between 2020 and 2022, reported the Korea Times. Experts argue that if there are too many alerts, people can become tired and less likely to respond to a disaster.

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