07-13-2006, 12:00 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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US Government Considers Sending Alerts To Phones In Emergency
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/07/12/060712191204.9i5b29n0.html
"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."
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. :|
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07-13-2006, 12:03 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,520
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Re: US Government Considers Sending Alerts To Phones In Emergency
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Originally Posted by Ed Hansberry
The paranoid side of me also wonders if this is possible, how long before spammers figure it out? It would render SMS totally worthless. :|
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Not just spammer. But what about <gulp> MARKETERS!! :shocked!:
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07-13-2006, 12:19 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 52
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It's Geography
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?"
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07-13-2006, 12:35 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 13
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Bad idea and impractical
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.
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07-13-2006, 01:08 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Re: US Government Considers Sending Alerts To Phones In Emergency
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Originally Posted by Phillip Dyson
Not just spammer. But what about <gulp> MARKETERS!! :shocked!:
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isn't that the same thing?
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07-13-2006, 01:25 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 54
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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
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07-13-2006, 01:27 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 13
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by MG
Also, it's not like we're getting ads over the TV emergency broadcast system. Why should SMS warnings be any different?
Mark
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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?
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07-13-2006, 01:59 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 21
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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.
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07-13-2006, 02:03 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 54
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Quote:
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Because it's harder to hack TV waves. It's easy (relatively) to hack computers.
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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
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07-13-2006, 02:12 PM
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Banned
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 64
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How would a spammer be able to exploit this system when he clearly has NO access at all to the system?!
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