"President Donald Trump may soon be communicating with you directly on your phone — even if you don’t follow him on Twitter.
Next Thursday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will do its first test of a system that allows the president to send a message to most U.S. cellphones."
Glad I only have a landline.
Oh and “The test is supposed to take place at 2:18 p.m. EDT on Sept. 20. Under the Warning, Alert, and Response Network (WARN) Act of 2006, cellphone users cannot opt out of the presidential alerts.”
Do you want to motivate millennials to vote? Really motivate them?
How about a system where the president brags about his accomplishments on their phones and there’s no way for them to avoid his messages?
I know the experts say there’s no way to abuse the system, but abuse of the system seems to require very little creativity. “ATTENTION: Contact FEMA for information about Hurricane Florence. Our response is beautiful. I have fixed the problems that the last administration created in FEMA, very horrible problems.”
What ever the Hell was the need for that feature in the first place? I don’t need the POTUS telling ME about emergencies in real time, that’s what there’s a whole fucking government for. He’s supposed to be at the command center too busy to reach out to individual private citizens. Damn, nobody in 12 years thought this over and realized it’s daft?
For once a benefit of not having a cell phone! (I don’t have one active, I keep one deactivated with a prepaid card available to activate it if I were in a desperate enough situation to warrant spending $5 on a phone call.)
Since I don’t have a cellphone and the 3 who live with me and do are only concerned when one of the 4 (oldest still shares the plan) goes over the data limit due to watching netflix or youtube videos: who pays for these emergency type texts? Taxpayers? State specific taxpayers (amber alerts)? Or the phone holders whether on a plan or on pay as you go plans?
And what is up with not being able to opt out on incoming messages on a phone? I get it for TV or Radio since we don’t pay other than listening to commercials. But phones are different. I know I had to opt in a decade ago when the school system implemented a short lived message tree (it only lasted a year and then went text or email message).
IIRC, the president himself doesn’t actually have direct access to the presidential alert system and can t just use it shout whatever he wants - it goes through FEMA.
“I’m sorry, Mr President, you can’t use this emergency alert system to send out campaign messages.”
“So what you’re saying is I have to wait until tomorrow.”
“I’ll tell you the same thing tomorrow, Mr President.”
“I won’t be asking you tomorrow. I’ll be asking my new FEMA director.”
We all get Amber Alerts on our cell phones and as far as I know most people are fine with that.
The convergence of Trump + Texts + Inability to escape + incoming test next week causes some bitching for some reason. I don’t want his fucked up pretense at language on my phone either. If it’s actually FEMA, no problem.
Really, in the kinds of situations this level of alert was meant for, there’s a good chance the president will be whatever cabinet secretary happened not to be in town that day. So it won’t be Trump on your phone, but Jeff Sessions or Ben Carson or Betsy DeVos or Rick Perry. I hope that makes people feel better.
I keep mine off, except when I want to use it. People don’t seem to get it - I bought and I pay every month, for MY convenience ONLY… not someone else’s.
Trump?
I’d chew hm out, verbally abuse him, and then hang up.
This is just the Emergency Alert System but for cell phones.