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Americans brace for texts straight from Trump – with no chance to opt-out
RT,
2
October, 2018
On
Wednesday, every mobile phone in the US will receive a message from
President Donald Trump, and the only way to stop it is to switch it
off (or flee into the wilderness). Although three people want a court
to shield them.
Strangely
enough, the message will have nothing to do with politics. Instead,
it’s a test of a nationwide “presidential alert”, a system that
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) intends to use in case
of a crisis affecting the entire nation. Like an imminent nuclear
missile blast – the Hawaiians have a
lot to say about
it.
REMINDER: Next Wednesday 10/3 at 2:18 PM EDT, we will conduct a nationwide test of the Wireless Emergency Alert system, in coordination w/@FCC. You’ll get a message box on your phone with a tone & vibration. This is not a text & your phone number is not shared with anyone.
FEMA
says that starting 2:18 p.m. EDT every working cell phone within
coverage should receive a notice that reads: “THIS IS A TEST of the
National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
Unlike most other alerts sent by the agency, this one cannot be opted
out of, so short of turning the device off or blocking the wireless
signal, there will be no way to avoid it. The test warning will also
be broadcast through radio and television, interrupting usual
programming, about two minutes later.
Early
into Trump’s presidency the idea that
he can sent whatever he want to pretty much all of the country
through FEMA’s infrastructure came as a shock to many Americans.
Almost two years later it doesn’t seem more appealing to some
folks. Three New Yorkers went as far as suing a
federal court to have the test blocked, because, they argue, it
violates free speech and constitutes an unconstitutional seizure of
their electronic devices.
Others
take a simpler path and simply vent off their frustration on the
social media.
The only person I want texting me less than this trash president is my trash ex cnn.com/2018/09/15/pol…
There only ONE presidential alert I want to see in the next 2 years. #MuellerIsComing and #DonnieDimwit is going to jail.
I must admit, I'd really prefer NOT to receive a presidential alert on my phone! There's something very creepy about it! It makes the country feel more like a dictatorship that way.
My reply to the news the the #FakePresident is going to text us all this week. If there’s any chance this guy can use the system for political purposes I want no part of it. He basically does he wants and no one stops him. @fema? Can you answer?
Current
and former US officials have been doing their best to assure that
their infrastructure would not be hijacked by the
‘Twitterer-in-chief’ to force a nationwide subscription on his
feed.
“It
should be reserved for true situations, true emergencies when we need
to get the public’s attention,” former
Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson told CBS
This Morning program. “This
is something that should not be used for a political agenda.”
FEMA’s
Antwane Johnson alluded to “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,” but
stopped short of promising to keep Trump away from the agency’s big
‘send to all’ button.
The
test was initially scheduled for September 20, but was postponed due
to Hurricane Florence.
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