The government and mobile operators have officially started activating the new UK-wide Emergency Alerts service, which has been designed to warn mobile users if there’s a “danger to life nearby” (e.g. severe flooding, fires and extreme weather). But it will only work on modern 4G and 5G Smartphones.
The Emergency Alerts system is similar to one that other countries have already adopted and aims to transform the UK’s warning and informing capability; providing a means to get urgent messages quickly to nearly 90% of mobile phones in a defined area and offering clear instructions about how best to respond.
NOTE: Emergency alerts will be sent in English. In Wales, they may also be sent in Welsh. You will not get alerts if your device is turned off or in aeroplane mode.
A number of live tests have already taken place across parts of the country, such as East Suffolk and Reading. But the government also intends to conduct a full UK-wide test on the afternoon of Sunday 23rd April 2023. So don’t be surprised if there’s a “loud siren-like sound” that lasts for up to 10 seconds from your mobile on that day.
Digger said
Mar 20 10:06 PM, 2023
Do they know something we don't?
Digger said
Mar 20 10:07 PM, 2023
Severe weather alerts? Er....OK.
Maddog said
Mar 21 12:15 AM, 2023
We get those, Amber alerts for missing children and silver alerts for missing elderly.
But we have had sirens for bad weather for years, assuming your near one to actually hear it..
Digger said
Mar 21 9:11 AM, 2023
Maddog wrote:
We get those, Amber alerts for missing children and silver alerts for missing elderly.
But we have had sirens for bad weather for years, assuming your near one to actually hear it..
I've switched off the capacity for this on my phone. I've managed for decades without them why would I want to start now?
Syl said
Mar 21 11:00 AM, 2023
Hopefully they will publicise widely what they are doing before they do it.
I can imagine some people would get a bit of a fright if their mobile suddenly starts emitting an usual warning signal.
Maddog said
Mar 21 3:06 PM, 2023
Digger wrote:
Maddog wrote:
We get those, Amber alerts for missing children and silver alerts for missing elderly.
But we have had sirens for bad weather for years, assuming your near one to actually hear it..
I've switched off the capacity for this on my phone. I've managed for decades without them why would I want to start now?
I dont know. They really don't bother me as much as people calling trying to sell me shit.
It's basically a text message that describes a child that has been taken, where they were taken and what kind of vehicle. I make a mental note and go on about my business.
And while I pay close attention to our weather as a general rule, I do sleep. Our weather likes to kill us sometimes.
But again, we are accustomed to the weather service sounding sirens, interrupting TV shows and the like.
A text message isn't really a big issue to us and might save the life of someone.
Back to the child snatchers. I'm pretty sure they are dissuaded when they know 20 million Texans who are extremely unhappy about people snatching kids, get a message describing what they just did.
Maddog said
Mar 23 4:44 PM, 2023
Just got this. Every phone for 100 miles just got this text message.
She was found safe a few hours after the alert went out.
It appears she got in the van the night before and didn't come home. Sounds like it might be a runaway teenager type thing.
A lot of these alerts are like that. Runaways or child custody fights where a parent grabs a kid and takes off.
Thankfully, very few kids are actually snatched by strangers.
Of course the kidnapper and murderer of Amber Hagerman has never been found. She's the namesake of the alert. She was snatched from my home city almost 30 years ago. And us old timers still remember it well, and are reminded of that little girl every time we get one of these alerts.
-- Edited by Maddog on Friday 24th of March 2023 02:48:48 PM
-- Edited by Maddog on Friday 24th of March 2023 03:29:05 PM
Maddog said
Mar 24 2:52 PM, 2023
I think a lot of us older folks in North Texas have a slight case of PTSD when we get an alert. In my case this image pops into my head. Most Americans just think of it as an acronym or a color when they get an AMBER alert.
It appears Sussex has something similar. I was thinking your new alerts would make this go nationwide. Guess not. 🤷♂️
Child rescue alert doesnt seem to be well publicised here....I have never heard of it.
Anonymous said
Mar 25 11:26 AM, 2023
Big Brother moves a step closer. Well of course they already can determine your gps location to the nearest mm and access your phone camera, your voice patterns, your keyboard entries as well as link your gps to nearby surveillance cams. Now they are providing a link to directly contact you. This will be AI driven with any red flags sent direct to a human controller.
Syl said
Mar 25 12:12 PM, 2023
If you are paranoid about the way things are going, there is an answer....just don't carry a mobile phone around with you.
It appears Sussex has something similar. I was thinking your new alerts would make this go nationwide. Guess not. 🤷♂️
Child rescue alert doesnt seem to be well publicised here....I have never heard of it.
Aren't you eleventy hundred miles from Sussex?
Maddog said
Mar 25 2:51 PM, 2023
Anonymous wrote:
Big Brother moves a step closer. Well of course they already can determine your gps location to the nearest mm and access your phone camera, your voice patterns, your keyboard entries as well as link your gps to nearby surveillance cams. Now they are providing a link to directly contact you. This will be AI driven with any red flags sent direct to a human controller.
You think Big Brother sending you a text message is worse than being able to track your location?
I look at it as them finally doing something useful with technology.
I'd like to know if a tornado has touched down near me, or some lunatic has snatched a kid.
And of course, you can block those notifications if you're not interested in receiving that info.
The government and mobile operators have officially started activating the new UK-wide Emergency Alerts service, which has been designed to warn mobile users if there’s a “danger to life nearby” (e.g. severe flooding, fires and extreme weather). But it will only work on modern 4G and 5G Smartphones.
The Emergency Alerts system is similar to one that other countries have already adopted and aims to transform the UK’s warning and informing capability; providing a means to get urgent messages quickly to nearly 90% of mobile phones in a defined area and offering clear instructions about how best to respond.
A number of live tests have already taken place across parts of the country, such as East Suffolk and Reading. But the government also intends to conduct a full UK-wide test on the afternoon of Sunday 23rd April 2023. So don’t be surprised if there’s a “loud siren-like sound” that lasts for up to 10 seconds from your mobile on that day.
But we have had sirens for bad weather for years, assuming your near one to actually hear it..
I've switched off the capacity for this on my phone. I've managed for decades without them why would I want to start now?
I can imagine some people would get a bit of a fright if their mobile suddenly starts emitting an usual warning signal.
I dont know. They really don't bother me as much as people calling trying to sell me shit.
It's basically a text message that describes a child that has been taken, where they were taken and what kind of vehicle. I make a mental note and go on about my business.
And while I pay close attention to our weather as a general rule, I do sleep. Our weather likes to kill us sometimes.
But again, we are accustomed to the weather service sounding sirens, interrupting TV shows and the like.
A text message isn't really a big issue to us and might save the life of someone.
Back to the child snatchers. I'm pretty sure they are dissuaded when they know 20 million Texans who are extremely unhappy about people snatching kids, get a message describing what they just did.
Just got this. Every phone for 100 miles just got this text message.
It is.
It's crazy if you are out in public though. Everyone's phones start screeching at once.
But it damn sure gets your attention.
Especially if you are driving a white van with a young white female in the passenger seat.
But all in all, it is a good system to alert people when things like this happen.
www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/amber-alert-discontinued-missing-azle-girl-found/3221325/
She was found safe a few hours after the alert went out.
It appears she got in the van the night before and didn't come home. Sounds like it might be a runaway teenager type thing.
A lot of these alerts are like that. Runaways or child custody fights where a parent grabs a kid and takes off.
Thankfully, very few kids are actually snatched by strangers.
Of course the kidnapper and murderer of Amber Hagerman has never been found. She's the namesake of the alert. She was snatched from my home city almost 30 years ago. And us old timers still remember it well, and are reminded of that little girl every time we get one of these alerts.
-- Edited by Maddog on Friday 24th of March 2023 02:48:48 PM
-- Edited by Maddog on Friday 24th of March 2023 03:29:05 PM
I think a lot of us older folks in North Texas have a slight case of PTSD when we get an alert. In my case this image pops into my head. Most Americans just think of it as an acronym or a color when they get an AMBER alert.
So sad.
We dont have anything like that as yet. We do have 'Sarahs Law', named after a little girl was murdered by a paedophile.
This allows a parent or guardian to ask police to check whether a person who spends time with their children has any record of child abuse.
It appears Sussex has something similar. I was thinking your new alerts would make this go nationwide. Guess not. 🤷♂️
Child rescue alert doesnt seem to be well publicised here....I have never heard of it.
Big Brother moves a step closer. Well of course they already can determine your gps location to the nearest mm and access your phone camera, your voice patterns, your keyboard entries as well as link your gps to nearby surveillance cams. Now they are providing a link to directly contact you. This will be AI driven with any red flags sent direct to a human controller.
Aren't you eleventy hundred miles from Sussex?
You think Big Brother sending you a text message is worse than being able to track your location?
I look at it as them finally doing something useful with technology.
I'd like to know if a tornado has touched down near me, or some lunatic has snatched a kid.
And of course, you can block those notifications if you're not interested in receiving that info.