Cellphones to receive govt text messages

We may earn a small commission from affiliate links and paid advertisements. Terms

Cashizslick

Cashizslick

!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!
Time to stock up on pre-2012 cell phones from metropcs.

National Emergency Alert System Set To Launch In NYC « CBS New York

NEW YORK, (CBSNewYork) – A new national alert system is set to begin in New York City that will alert the public to emergencies via cell phones.
Presidential and local emergency messages as well as Amber Alerts would appear on cell phones equipped with special chips and software.
The Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency said the system would also warn about terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
Verizon and AT&T, the nation’s largest cell phone carriers, are already on board. Consumers would be able to opt out of all but those presidential messages.
The announcement of the new emergency alert system came Monday in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death and an uptick in security and safety concerns around New York City.
For now, the system is capable on certain high-end cell phones but starting next year, all cell phones will be required to have the chip that receives alerts.
By the end of the year, the new system will be in place in New York City and Washington and in cities around the country by the end of 2012.
Click to expand...
 
Now they don't need to be bothered with a pen register even. Excellent news.
 
I hope its an opt-in system, however most invasive government programs arent.
 
Last edited:
too bad it's not just for amber alerts or weather and safety concerns. talk about a way to instill fear.
 
It's not a bad idea, but shouldn't be mandatory.

In all honesty, i could care less about amber alerts. I saw one yesterday, and now just 24 hours later, i couldn't tell you what the kid looked like. But, i would like to know if a nuc is headed this way....
 
Probably won't ever make it to my carrier anyways. Sounds like another reason to jack up cell phone taxes to me...
 
B said:
It's not a bad idea, but shouldn't be mandatory.

In all honesty, i could care less about amber alerts. I saw one yesterday, and now just 24 hours later, i couldn't tell you what the kid looked like. But, i would like to know if a nuc is headed this way....
Click to expand...
until someone sends out a mass text as a joke and all hell breaks loose lol
 
im going to be the first to say here that i think this is a horrible idea.

and i guarantee that this little black box on a cell phone will also be recording phone calls and text messages as well.
 
Sounds like a good idea initially, but I'd imagine this could back-fire like crazy(virus, people hacking phones, etc.)

The way I see it; radio/tv stations already give out signals(and those interruptions) and the phone simply being able to read those signals would be awesome. Problem is what if people were getting the phones to read false information(as stated before, send virus, etc) as there's much more sensitive information on our phones than a TV or radio.
 
92b16vx said:
Is it going to scare them anymore than if they saw it on the news?
Click to expand...

Yes, and here is why.

I dont watch the news, but i do watch my phone and i need it for work. When someone texts me, its probably work related, so I check my phone whenever i hear it receive a text.

This plan specifically states the government and the president can send me text messages.

I dont want the president texting me. I dont want the government, or any of its bloated agencies texting me. I dont want homeland security texting me whenever someone forgets their lunch at the mall or on the bus. I dont want the DMV texting me to come pay my parking tickets. I dont want our new obama care system to text me and tell me to come get a checkup. If this thing passes the government will be in our lives constantly like the telescreens in 1984.

Just think of how the government could abuse this system. They lie to us enough through the news and the speeches of their own officials, but at least we are free to change the channel or turn off the speech. If they can get onto my cellphone they have a b-line into my pocket 24hrs a day and Ill never be able to avoid them.... imagine standing in the mall or at a concert, or even a club when everyone receives the same text message at once and starts going crazy. This is an evil, terrible plan for America.

From this day forward I will only buy phones that do not support this feature, and when the day comes that every phone in the store has this feature Ill find someone who can disable it.
 
Cashizslick said:
Yes, and here is why.

I dont watch the news, but i do watch my phone and i need it for work. When someone texts me, its probably work related, so I check my phone whenever i hear it receive a text.

The plan for this specifically states the government and the president can send me text messages.

I dont want the president texting me. I dont want the government, or any of its bloated agencies texting me. I dont want homeland security texting me whenever someone forgets their lunch at the mall or on the bus. I dont want the DMV texting me to come pay my parking tickets. I dont want our new obama care system to text me and tell me to come get a checkup. If this thing passes the government will be in our lives constantly like the telescreens in 1984.

Just think of how the government could abuse this system. They lie to us enough through the news and the speeches of their own officials, but at least we are free to change the channel or turn off the speach. If they can get onto my cellphone they have a b-line into my pocket 24hrs a day and Ill never be able to avoid them.... imagine standing in the mall or at a concert, or even a club when everyone receives the same text message at once and starts going crazy. This is an evil, terrible plan for America.

From this day forward I will only buy phones that do not support this feature, and when the day comes that every phone in the store has this feature Ill find someone who can disable it.
Click to expand...

That's all good, and I get where you're coming from, but it still doesn't have anything to do with scaring people. There's already plenty of avenues for the government to abuse their power in existence, yet I still don't have black helicopters dropping the police state on my roof to come get me.

Hell maybe it will have the positive benefit of getting some people off their damn phones. I can dream of a world were people stay in their lanes instead of talking/texting on their phones, I can go out to eat, or a movie without hearing people blabbering on, or playing games.
 
Last edited:
Now this is where I'm glad I switched to Verizon last week, because I can block number from sending me messages and calls :)
 
Verizon is onboard with the idea. They're not going to make any waves if the govt decides it doesn't want to be blocked.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top