What is the truth of the presidential alert?

There is some truth to be gleaned here

WHAT AMERICAN ARE MISSING!! A DARK CLOUDS HANGS OVER DC & THE TRUTH ABOUT PRESIDENTIAL ALERT!

‘Wake up people!’: Cyber expert McAfee warns of US govt 'spying' through presidential alert texts

RT,

4 October, 2018

As the US was subjected to an unexpected nationwide message from President Donald Trump, many were startled and confused by the alert. One man, however, warned of a more sinister element to the public safety test.

The alerts were sent out by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as part of its Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS), ostensibly aimed at improving public safety in times of emergency. For instance, 48 people died during Hurricane Florence in September, a toll which could have been mitigated with more awareness.
READ MORE: Argh! America gets a text from Trump, memes ensue

John McAfee‏Verified account @officialmcafee

The "Presidential alerts": they are capable of accessing the E911 chip in your phones - giving them full access to your location, microphone, camera and every function of your phone. This not a rant, this is from me, still one of the leading cybersecurity experts. Wake up people!

1:32 PM - 3 Oct 2018

However, former US presidential candidate, cybersecurity expert and blockchain advocate John McAfee warned citizens that the message was actually a surreptitious method of increasing US government spying on its own citizens.

E911 is a system used in North America to automatically provide a caller’s location to emergency services dispatchers reached by calling 911.

McAfee’s message was received loud and clear, by some at least, as his warning received over 30,000 likes and 22,000 retweets.

McAfee previously ran as a Libertarian candidate in 2016 on the platform "we are adults in a world full of mystery." On Wednesday he announced "constant warrior" Rob Loggia as his presidential campaign manager for the 2020 campaign.

This time he will be running on a platform "to promote what I believe is the only thing that can save us: The Blockchain."

McAfee also stated that if he were to win the US presidency he would step down immediately and hand over the reins of power to the performance artist Vermin Supreme (legal name).