Last night I received an AMBER alert on my Android phone (a few-years-old Samsung running Gingerbread), which made the phone vibrate madly like I had received several consecutive text messages. Wanting to disable these alerts,* I navigated to the Messaging App, then Settings, then Emergency Alerts. There, I saw four alerting types:
- Presidential alerts (Mandatory alerts)
- Extreme alerts (Extreme threat to life and property)
- Severe alerts (Severe threat to life and property)
- AMBER alerts (Child abduction emergency alerts)
All of these can be disabled except for the Presidential alerts. Being a bit creeped out by the fact that there are 'Presidential alerts' that can't be disabled on my phone (especially with all of the government surveillance coming to light these days), I started to do some research. Other Android users have taken notice of the Presidential alerts as well.
These alert types were brought about by the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) which was created with the passage of the Warning, Alert, and Response Network Act in 2006. The system, however, was only implemented by all of the major carriers starting in 2012. The system confusingly goes by other names as well: Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and Personal Localized Alerting Network (PLAN).
So why can't one block Presidential alerts? The FCC's FAQ on the subject has the answer:
Why can’t consumers block WEAs issued by the President?
In passing the WARN Act, Congress allowed participating carriers to offer subscribers the capability to block all WEAs except those issued by the President.
'Participating carriers,' of course, means all of the major ones, at least:
And it is not just Android phones -- the non-disableable Presidential alert system has also been recently rolled out to iPhones as well.* A good article critiquing AMBER alerts is here: Abducted! The Amber Alert system is more effective as theater than as a way to protect children
Nice write up. I woke up the other morning because my phone was buzzing. I thought it was a production hotfix looming. I then realized it was just another Amber Alert, whatever... more disputing parents fighting over a child. Did not know about the Presidential setting. Creepy.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason I can think of as to why it would be there is to notify people of some sort of impending attack. Perhaps this is the modern day version of the emergency alert system that was set up to warn Americans of a nuclear missle -attack by the USSR during the Cold War? Let's just hope they don't do monthly tests.
ReplyDelete"Presidential Alerts" have been around for over half a century. They have never been used or even tested.
ReplyDeletein case North Korea sends a nuke over here
ReplyDeleteYeah if they can get it to go further than 100 yards lol
DeleteYeah if they can get it to go further than 100 yards lol
DeleteI want to "return" my own alerts to the POTUS!
ReplyDeleteWe got POTUS alerts when he gave a speech in town. We were like WTF because we don't give a crap about listening to the lies roll off his tongue.
ReplyDeleteYea the government definitely gives a shit about spying on your dull activities. Not.
ReplyDeleteBut LOL at disabling emergency alerts. Dumbass.
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ReplyDeleteEmergency alert system
Just what the Chief Slimy Politician needs: 100,000,000 "STFU" messages on the What Haus message system.
ReplyDeleteHow else are we gonna know when zombies are going down? Well other than your kids eating your face..........
ReplyDeleteHow else are we gonna know when zombies are going down? Well other than your kids eating your face..........
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ReplyDeleteWhat is more irritating is the "permissions" the presidential app has. I sure don't give my permission to have my personal phone that I pay for be used as spyware for the effing government.
ReplyDeleteWhat is more irritating is the "permissions" the presidential app has. I sure don't give my permission to have my personal phone that I pay for be used as spyware for the effing government.
ReplyDelete
DeleteOh, but you did, "Lisa Lee." When you clicked on the "activate" button or link, you probably didn't read the pages of fine print in which the permission was embedded.
That no computer will function and you get no internet access unless you agree to every niggling detail of the permissions...well, tough. Did you notice the warning that if you didn't agree to everything, you could return the device to the vendor and get a refund?
DeleteOh, but you did, "Lisa Lee." When you clicked on the "activate" button or link, you probably didn't read the pages of fine print in which the permission was embedded.
That no computer will function and you get no internet access unless you agree to every niggling detail of the permissions...well, tough. Did you notice the warning that if you didn't agree to everything, you could return the device to the vendor and get a refund?