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new alert system that’s supposed to be used in very specific circumstances to communicate with the public via cell phones —
and experts say it won’t let presidents just text the American public at will.
YES he will be able to text "at will" WHEN the shit hits the fan
FINE kek
The new emergency alert system that lets Trump text you, explained
Experts say it’s probably fine.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/10/3/17931894/emergency-alert-test-presidential-text
You probably got an emergency alert from President Donald Trump on your phone on Wednesday afternoon. It’s a test of a new alert system that’s supposed to be used in very specific circumstances to communicate with the public via cell phones — and experts say it won’t let presidents just text the American public at will.
At 2:18 pm Eastern Time Wednesday, FEMA and the FCC did their first test of the Wireless Emergency Alerts system. More than 100 mobile carriers, including all major wireless companies, are participating. A second test that put messages on TV and radio, known as the Emergency Alert System, took place a couple of minutes later.
The wireless test message read “Presidential Alert” and included a clear warning that it was just a test, per FEMA: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” It was transmitted in both English and Spanish. Cell towers broadcast the test for about half an hour, during which time most cell phones that were switched on and within range of an active cell tower got the test message.
The TV and radio system has been tested three times before; the texting system hasn’t. The test was initially scheduled for September but was postponed because of Hurricane Florence.
The system is the same one that’s used to warn the public about dangerous weather or missing children, such as tornado warnings and Amber Alerts. Users can’t opt out of texts, a requirement from a 2006 law passed by Congress called the Warning, Alert, and Response Network Act. Congress requires the system be tested every three years.
The idea of Trump having control over a nationwide wireless alert system may seem unsettling or annoying, given that most Americans think the president tweets way too much. But the national warning system predates Trump and has been under development for years, and officials say there are some pretty specific guardrails in place to make sure it’s always used correctly.
“You would not have a situation where any sitting president would just wake up one morning and attempt to send a person a message,” FEMA official Antwane Johnson said on a call with reporters this week, according to Axios. “The system is very well-governed and rooted in law in terms of its intended use.”
This is (probably) fine
Given the president’s erratic tweeting habits and penchant for reacting to emergency situations without having all the facts, the idea of Trump having the ability to send alerts to the entire country could be, for some, a bit disconcerting. But the system is intended to be used for actual emergencies only — not a reaction to a Fox News segment or a declaration that the Russia investigation is a witch hunt.
According to the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Modernization Act of 2015, the system “shall not be used to transmit a message that does not relate to a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster or threat to public safety.”
“One thing that we need make very clear is that there are laws, policies, and procedures that are in place, other protocols to assure that the system is used in accordance with its intended use as defined by the law,” Johnson, from FEMA, told CBS This Morning.
Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, told me recently that the wireless alert system is a good idea, as is testing it — but having someone as volatile as Trump with control over it is concerning.