Public emergency alert - being sent to your phone
Discussion
I had a government alert on my Iphone last year when I was in Vilnius the captial of Lithuania. It was to say that there was going to be military maneuvers in the city (Tanks and troops) and not to panic (I had to get a colleague to translate it). It was a total surprise to get the message as I didn't know that was a something that could be done, and it was on by default.
I didn't see any military activity but speaking to my colleagues who spoke English, they said it was not uncommon as the city is only about 20 miles from the Belarus border.
To be honest, I'm glad I got the message as I would have been worried to see tanks rolling around in the city and my Lithuanian runs to 'Thank you' so it would have been tricky to ask locals in the street what was going on.
It also appeared that the alerts are off by default on Android phones of anybody I've asked.
I didn't see any military activity but speaking to my colleagues who spoke English, they said it was not uncommon as the city is only about 20 miles from the Belarus border.
To be honest, I'm glad I got the message as I would have been worried to see tanks rolling around in the city and my Lithuanian runs to 'Thank you' so it would have been tricky to ask locals in the street what was going on.
It also appeared that the alerts are off by default on Android phones of anybody I've asked.
I understand their use in countries where you get serious weather and natural disasters, but our weather is meek and mild in comparison, there is no reason to be alerted that it's going to snow a bit or a squall line is heading over your area or it's going to be a bit windy.
The media already turn themselves inside and out over named storms that really aren't worthy of a name, God only knows what they will make of this.
It's just another meaningless intervention, why can't they focus on the countries real issues.
Countdown said:
b
hstewie said:
hstewie said: Is there anything some people on NP&E won't lose their st about? 
Fixed that for you. Possibly there's some overlap with the CBDC and CT brigade.t about? For most people it's a "meh....."
Just switch them off if you don't want to receive them.
Getragdogleg said:
Yeah, I reckon if I saw tanks in Cornwall I'd work out something was up pretty quickly.
Aye, but I’m sure the residents of Boscastle in 2004 would have been appreciative of an early warning system after they were devastated by torrential rain.In the UK we are pretty lucky in that extreme weather events are rare, but they do happen.
I’m still not sure it’s entirely needed in the UK, but still I can see the benefits of the notifications.
Now, putting on my tin foil hat, the world is a bit scary at the moment and if missiles do start flying around, I’m sure everyone would appreciate an early warning to try and get to safety. Weather? It’s a good excuse to practise sending the notifications and judging how they work, for when they may really be needed… but that’s just my thoughts.
This year it feels especially we have had nothing but daily posts from local and nation news sites about " look out here is the exact day 12 inches of snow will fall" I have really notied it more this year.
When is it actually needed.
Well if Putin Nukes us we will likely know about it anyway
Useful maybe for Red Wind alerts as 2 years ago in Scotland that wind was something else
But it will be used for a minor drought or hot ish weahter etc.
Irony is if i were Putin or Jinping or who ever id be trying to hack the system and cause carnage that way.
When is it actually needed.
Well if Putin Nukes us we will likely know about it anyway
Useful maybe for Red Wind alerts as 2 years ago in Scotland that wind was something else
But it will be used for a minor drought or hot ish weahter etc.
Irony is if i were Putin or Jinping or who ever id be trying to hack the system and cause carnage that way.
voyds9 said:
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: Is there anything people won't lose their st about?
I agree it's terrible the governments losing it's collective mind because the skies get darkt about? The losing s
t exaggeration is an exaggeration, this latest big-gov't-will-save-us crap isn't anything to cause one to lose one's faeces, as it's no more than another set of nudge opportunities. Staying balanced is better.There's no way of predicting earthquakes, so it's just as well the UK doesn't get the big bad stuff. As to weather, ffs, naming a bit of wet and windy weather to make it scary like a hurricane was bad enough, now it's going to be shoved down people's mobile throats. I'm turning the alerts off with the replacement option of looking out the window reasonably often, as happens now. A tsunami would be most unlikely to reach far enough. Being a couple of miles from GCHQ there might just be a millisecond to spot Vlad's instant sunshine without looking. A few mins notice in advance would just cause pointless negative thoughts about vaporisation.
Anyway, to stay on message for a mo: ooooh it's so scary being alive, just think, death!
Edited by turbobloke on Sunday 19th March 16:33
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: I imagine it would make for some interesting venn diagrams
Just switch them off if you don't want to receive them.
An opt-in system would be less intrusive. I would prefer 'do not disturb' as a defult setting for goverment/official intrusion into my life. I feel the same about Jehovah's witnesses & similar.Just switch them off if you don't want to receive them.
Biggy Stardust said:
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: I imagine it would make for some interesting venn diagrams
Just switch them off if you don't want to receive them.
An opt-in system would be less intrusive. I would prefer 'do not disturb' as a defult setting for goverment/official intrusion into my life. I feel the same about Jehovah's witnesses & similar.Just switch them off if you don't want to receive them.
Anyway how can they issue an alert when somebody is running with scissors.
Biggy Stardust said:
An opt-in system would be less intrusive. I would prefer 'do not disturb' as a defult setting for goverment/official intrusion into my life. I feel the same about Jehovah's witnesses & similar.
And I can see that point of view but I think by definition if you want an emergency alert to go to as many people as possible it makes sense to start from a position of "you get the alert unless you've gone out of your way to say you don't want to".It look Turbobloke longer to write all that rubbish about nipples (seriously?) than it would take to switch them off.
Honestly just switch them off and get on with life.
vulture1 said:
Mr E said:
Places like Japan use it for tsunami warnings.
But you just know the UK will use it for snow storms
And when it isnt used because the storm isnt that bad but someone dies just wait for the outrage!
Mine firmly switched off.
extraT said:
Aye, but I’m sure the residents of Boscastle in 2004 would have been appreciative of an early warning system after they were devastated by torrential rain.
As a local to that I will say that although the sentiment is good with your statement the extremely local cloudburst that happened there would never have been on any alert at all. Unless the system warns of heavy rain every time its wet and people put out sandbags and flee their area for high ground every time they are warned then there will always be a chance it will happen again.
That event was so fast and random it was a freak that would not be predicted.
It was dry a few miles away.
Plymo said:
EmailAddress said:
They'll do it if you break the 30mph limit in the UK within a couple of years.
20mph in Wales, boyo! You child-running-over lunatic speed demon!!! 
The man with the red flag walking in front of your car is not that far away.
Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff