Public emergency alerts to be sent to all UK mobile phones

[weeksy]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64999417

A siren-like alert will be sent to mobile phone users across the UK next month to test a new government public warning system.

It allows the government and emergency services to send urgent messages warning the public of life-threatening situations like flooding or wildfires.

The test is expected to take place in the early evening of Sunday 23 April.

Phone users will have to acknowledge the alert before they can use other features on their devices.

A message will appear on the home screens of people's devices during the test, with vibration and a loud warning sound that will ring for about 10 seconds - even if the phone is set to silent.

The system is being modelled on similar schemes used in the US, Canada, Japan and The Netherlands.

Messages would only ever come from the government or emergency services and will initially focus on the most serious weather-related events, with the ability to get a message to 90% of mobile users within the relevant area.

Terror alerts could be added to the list of potential events that would trigger a notification.

The messages will include details of the area impacted and instructions about how to respond.

They will only be sent where there is an immediate risk to life and many people may not receive an alert for months or years.

People can opt out by searching their device settings for emergency alerts and then turning off severe and extreme ones. Officials say the alerts could be life-saving, though, advising against switching them off.

Alerts 'can save a life'
The Cabinet Office says the service will be secure, free to receive and will not collect personal information such as someone's telephone number, identity or location.

The new system uses cell broadcasting technology and messages will be based on someone's current location - but location services do not need to be switched on to receive the alerts.

That is because when an alert is triggered, all cell towers in a defined area will broadcast it, allowing the message to reach an area the size of an electoral ward.

The government has released a video of what the alerts will sound like.

[Horse]

Whoop whoop, that's the sound of the police!

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Did you know that you can remotely turn on the microphone and camera of any mobile phone and monitor the traffic of you know the admin credentials, I've seen it done for anyone who doubts this.

[Ant]

Like the Amazon echo, they're watching you, your every move. Smart this, smart that. We'll have smart fridges so that they know who's the secret lemonade drinker. Before you know it, smart machines de la washing will be compulsory so that they can measure how filthy you all are. The Chinese and Russians will target you and listen to your conversations and watch your moves.

[Trinity765]

I hope I get to enjoy a decent bit of my retirement before it's illegal not to own one, or illegal to turn them off.
I sometimes go out now without a personal smart device, it feels a bit naughty to do it.

I get the urge to do this, but haven't yet. I'd like to do it before I forget that once upon a time I did it all of the time and nothing bad happened.

[MyLittleStudPony]

Did you know that you can remotely turn on the microphone and camera of any mobile phone and monitor the traffic of you know the admin credentials, I've seen it done for anyone who doubts this.

This is true.

It's why I kee my phone wrapped in tinfoil and always walk out of rooms backwards.

[MingtheMerciless]

I hope I get to enjoy a decent bit of my retirement before it's illegal not to own one, or illegal to turn them off.
I sometimes go out now without a personal smart device, it feels a bit naughty to do it.

I always felt like that when I was the Man from Oncall, especially at Christmas when the Govt Organisation I worked for reneged on Christmas Bank Holiday payments so I used to wrap the phone in tin foil and put it in the fridge for two days. If you do that all the network see's is a Return to Coverage message from the phone when you unwrap it. If you turn the phone off it sends a message saying I'm being turned off.

[Yambo]

I frequently go out without my phone, sometimes intentionally, kayaking or on the boat for example. I often put it down and forget where I've put it.

It's a very useful device and I really appreciate its capabilities but it doesn't rule my life and it never will. mine is probably only a phone for 20% of its usage. I have two Sim cards in it, one a UK number. I wonder if I'll get the messages.

Did you know that you can remotely turn on the microphone and camera of any mobile phone and monitor the traffic of you know the admin credentials, I've seen it done for anyone who doubts this.

What are the 'admin credentials'?

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I frequently go out without my phone, sometimes intentionally, kayaking or on the boat for example. I often put it down and forget where I've put it.

It's a very useful device and I really appreciate its capabilities but it doesn't rule my life and it never will. mine is probably only a phone for 20% of its usage. I have two Sim cards in it, one a UK number. I wonder if I'll get the messages.

Did you know that you can remotely turn on the microphone and camera of any mobile phone and monitor the traffic of you know the admin credentials, I've seen it done for anyone who doubts this.

What are the 'admin credentials'?

You think I'm telling you?

The ones used by the phone manufacturer to default the phone and update it are the ones I saw used.

[Ant]

Did you know that you can remotely turn on the microphone and camera of any mobile phone and monitor the traffic of you know the admin credentials, I've seen it done for anyone who doubts this.

I saw this done by military people over a decade ago, they have dedicated departments to it, obviously.

The fellas told me that if you store information electronically, even if it isn't actually connected to the internet but has the capability to connect to something wirelessly, then they can take whatever they want from it. They demonstrated that they can even remotely turn phones on, extract information then turn them back off.

If it's in a cloud then it's already theirs, if it's in your phone or computer then they can take it when it suits them.
If it's a voice call then they've been listening since phones were invented and if you shop or pay for anything electronically then you're logged, mapped and stored.

If you're anywhere developed then you're ANPR'd, face recognitioned and monitored.

You'd have to be clever, very remote or not even worth watching, to not be watched.

Unless you're behind an Infloblox, then no one is getting in

[Yorick]

Some folk are paranoid. If 'they' knew where you were constantly, the police could crack all crimes quickly. If there was a central database of info, I could write an SQL statement in a few minutes to crack any crime,

[Mr. Dazzle]

or not even worth watching

Well thank fuck for that!

[mangocrazy]

Did you know that you can remotely turn on the microphone and camera of any mobile phone and monitor the traffic of you know the admin credentials, I've seen it done for anyone who doubts this.

I saw this done by military people over a decade ago, they have dedicated departments to it, obviously.

The fellas told me that if you store information electronically, even if it isn't actually connected to the internet but has the capability to connect to something wirelessly, then they can take whatever they want from it. They demonstrated that they can even remotely turn phones on, extract information then turn them back off.

If it's in a cloud then it's already theirs, if it's in your phone or computer then they can take it when it suits them.
If it's a voice call then they've been listening since phones were invented and if you shop or pay for anything electronically then you're logged, mapped and stored.

If you're anywhere developed then you're ANPR'd, face recognitioned and monitored.

You'd have to be clever, very remote or not even worth watching, to not be watched.

It's all a bit 'Bourne', isn't it?

[Mussels]

I frequently go out without my phone, sometimes intentionally, kayaking or on the boat for example. I often put it down and forget where I've put it.

It's a very useful device and I really appreciate its capabilities but it doesn't rule my life and it never will. mine is probably only a phone for 20% of its usage. I have two Sim cards in it, one a UK number. I wonder if I'll get the messages.

Did you know that you can remotely turn on the microphone and camera of any mobile phone and monitor the traffic of you know the admin credentials, I've seen it done for anyone who doubts this.

What are the 'admin credentials'?

No because the cell tower broadcast messages to all phones connected to it, you won't be connected to one of those transmitters.

[mangocrazy]

Oh and they purposely want you to think they can't track everything you do and then you'll be less cautious and easier to catch.

But if 'they' have these semi God-like powers then whatever you do or however cautious you are it's all pointless, isn't it?

[JackyJoll]

You'd have to be clever, very remote or not even worth watching, to not be watched.

I wonder which I am most likely to be.

[Ant]

Oh and they purposely want you to think they can't track everything you do and then you'll be less cautious and easier to catch.

But if 'they' have these semi God-like powers then whatever you do or however cautious you are it's all pointless, isn't it?

Not exactly, you have to actually leave an electronic trail, they don't know if I've been to the shop and back today if I left my phone at home, walked there and paid cash, and the shops CCTV is actually closed circuit and not on a cloud.

They only know what you're doing if they can follow a trail.

Once Nichola Bulley abandoned her phone and walked off they didn't know where she was, it turned out she was a few hundred yards away but there was no trail to follow. So in many ways they're still blind unless you put information online - and you'd be amazed at how much information is there about you, we've all been leaving an online trail since BB's and MySpace, electronic banking, etc

I think that's helped lead the services into laziness, if there's no quick trail they can download, then they'll not investigate as there's no evidence. It's a bit trivial to compare to burglary but in a sense, they'll often do nothing as there's no evidence, but there won't be if they don't investigate, it's just that there's no download button.

[cheb]

You'd have to be clever, very remote or not even worth watching, to not be watched.

I wonder which I am most likely to be.

Two out of three's not bad.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Took em long enough to find Bin Laden didn't it? There's also that photo of Pablo Escobar standing right outside the Whitehouse when he was one of the FBIs most wanted

I suspect its like any criminal activity...shit criminals get caught, good ones don't.

[JackyJoll]

You'd have to be clever, very remote or not even worth watching, to not be watched.

I wonder which I am most likely to be.

Two out of three's not bad.

They’re looking for a ruby in a mountain of rocks!