US Government Considers Sending Alerts To Phones In Emergency

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/07/12/060712191204.9i5b29n0.html">http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/07/12/060712191204.9i5b29n0.html</a><br /><br /><i>"The US government unveiled a communications system that in case of emergency should soon allow it to send SMS alerts to Americans' mobile phones and computers. "We have the ability to do this. It's a major step," Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director David Paulson told reporters outside the US capital as he unveiled the program's design."</i><br /><br />Hopefully this type of thing would be localized to the event as opposed to a nationwide SMS blast to everyone. The paranoid side of me also wonders if this is possible, how long before spammers figure it out? It would render SMS totally worthless. :|

[Phillip Dyson]

The paranoid side of me also wonders if this is possible, how long before spammers figure it out? It would render SMS totally worthless. :|

Not just spammer. But what about &lt;gulp> MARKETERS!! :shocked!:

[RKosin]

Mass notification concepts raise the the same difficulties...call back and geography. Specifically,knowing who is where and within what proximity of the danager or purpose for the alert. One doesn't want people leaving a secure location in a building to improve the cellular receptation for the alert of a tornado. Likewise a call back for "all clear" or explaination is needed, "hello, FEMA did you try to call me?"

[Watti3460]

I can imagine getting a message like "Incoming FEMA announcement - You can cut your mortgage payments by 50%!"

But besides this - Lets all turn back the clock and imagine for a second it's Sept. 11th 2001. Now do you really think that by the time someone figured out that there was a terroist attack and activated this sytem that you would not have known something had happened?

And how detailed information can you send via SMS? Complex evacuation instructions? More likely something like - Terroist attack in yourt area, please tune into your local media for further instructions. You would have done this already.

This is just another in a long string of attempts to make us FEEL safe through information. Hey, if I have more info I must be well informed and therefore safer.

By the way we are still at code yellow if that means anything amymore.

[Ed Hansberry]

Not just spammer. But what about &lt;gulp> MARKETERS!! :shocked!:
isn't that the same thing?

[MG]

Actually, I believe when the Trade Center was attacked, cell service pretty much quit throughout New England, yet SMS was still active. If information can continue to be distributed when other services fail, that may help. Also, it's not like we're getting ads over the TV emergency broadcast system. Why should SMS warnings be any different?

Mark

[Watti3460]

Also, it's not like we're getting ads over the TV emergency broadcast system. Why should SMS warnings be any different?
Mark

Because it's harder to hack TV waves. It's easy (relatively) to hack computers.

Also, the emergency broadcast system did squat during 911. What maikes anyone thing it will work through SMS?

[squirrelist]

Remember Hurricane Katrina - lots of people with no telephone service, radio, television, but the cellular system at least partially worked. My brother lives near Biloxi and I was texting him during the storm to keep him up to date as to what was on CNN. I wasn't able to call him, however. What if FEMA could have sent messages to cellular phones in the area warning of shootings, where to go for assistance, don't drink the water, etc.

As long as they have a good system set up, I'm not too worried about marketing. I'm sure what they will do is set up a direct link with all of the cellular carriers, so that the cellular carriers can send messages based on the current location of the phone. It would be the carriers who send out the message, not FEMA. I know Cingular already does this with some special announcements from time to time. Although I don't know if they have a system in place to only send the message to select customers.

[MG]

Because it's harder to hack TV waves. It's easy (relatively) to hack computers.

Your kidding right? Like the TV broadcast system isn't controlled by computers?

Your thinking "terrorist attack", think "severe thunderstorm warning" or "tornado warning" or "Amber Alert". I terrorist attack would likely be too quick and well covered by conventional media to make SMS useful.

Mark

[joker]

How would a spammer be able to exploit this system when he clearly has NO access at all to the system?!

[echernosky]

How would a spammer be able to exploit this system when he clearly has NO access at all to the system?!

You're kidding right? That's what hackers do.

[BugDude10]

Is this going to be under the control of the same folks responsible for the color-coded security alert system here in the U.S.? If so, what's the point?! ("MAUVE! THE ALERT LEVEL IS MAUVE, EVERYBODY! TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION!!!") :roll:

[The One Eyed Man]

I think most of the folks here are talking about two different issues.

1. Authentication / authorization / audit: The emergency SMS system must be available only to authorized users, who are individually identified. Use of the system must be logged for auditing. So even if it's "hack-able" (authentication / authorization), auditing and Security Incident Response Procedures (SIRP) should yield the origin of unauthorized uses, which allows the developers to plug the hole, etc....

2. Geography vs. logical address (phone number): I think the solution to this is simple, but will take about 3 years to implement. Using the 80/20 rule, at what time will 80% of mobile subscribers purchase a new handset? I say that's about 1.5 years (18 months). So, a new 'hook' could be built in to every phone, starting tomorrow, next month, etc..., that listens to a special "Emergency Broadcast" channel, out of band with CDMA / TDMA / GSM, but working like a terrestrial radio, emergency equipment could be devised that would emit a short-range signal, and could be used for other purposes... e.g. it could cause all the phones to beacon, in order to locate survivors. This has the advantage of geographical proximity, dedicated (and out-of-band) signalling, and carrier-independence. Using the 80% replacement rule, this technology would be uniformly deployed in 18 months (or whatever the real number is). So.... Now lets think about OTHER uses. Commercial fire alarm systems could have this technology embedded. Pods on the freeway could send data regarding road conditions ahead. Flight updates in airports....

Remember: ASSUMING authentication / authorization / audit is built in, the phone must authorize the originator, and must alert the carrier. New 'keys' could be regularly broadcast by wireless providers, silently, in-band with their service. Likewise, commercial users would be responsible for updating their equipment accordingly.

So.... I'm a user what if I don't want all this crap on my phone? The system must allow for configurable event priority levels, and masking at the handset. So advertisements might be 'ad', level -1, and emergencies might be '+99', allowing me to squelch insignificant events (all BUT emergency equipment)

Please let me know your thoughts.

[ctmagnus]

Is this going to be under the control of the same folks responsible for the color-coded security alert system here in the U.S.? If so, what's the point?! ("MAUVE! THE ALERT LEVEL IS MAUVE, EVERYBODY! TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION!!!") :roll:

Mauve? There is no mauve. Everybody knows the levels are Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, Ernie, and Elmo.

;)

[joker]

You're kidding right? That's what hackers do.
No, actually i'm laughing about your unfounded paranoia.

[MG]

"The One Eyed Man", well put and spoken like a man looking for some Venture Capital! 8O

Mark