AT&T adds emergency alert system to iPhone 5 and 4S with software update [u]

124

Comments

  • Reply 61 of 99

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post





    Heavens no! So when you get anywhere near a real discussion, just let me know.


     


    It's seriously entertaining to continue going back and forth with you about why you're afraid of the NSA reading your internet communications, but alas I must start ignoring the forum emails alerting me to a reply from you and stop coming back in here.  Real life calls.

  • Reply 62 of 99
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Wow really -- alerts from a bygone era!  Archaic WWII timeframe system -- today people have VAST access to news resources and other push notifications.  

    Government is MUCH more the problem, than any kind of solution!  I want LESS government in my life -- this just adds MORE.  No thanks!  What is this, Communist China?!


    There's still much that the government gets right and this is one of them.
  • Reply 63 of 99
    sky kingsky king Posts: 189member


    Thank you to those who pointed out (accurately) that if I had read the article carefully, I would have seen that I could turn the PUSH notifications off.  Thank you also to those who point out that this is the first step is the government forcing us to accept their push notifications whether we want to participate or not.  


     


    And for those who do not either read or understand the Constitution:  Please refer to Article 1, Section 8 (the enumerated posers section) and also to Amendment #10.  The constitution is explicit in telling exactly what the federal government may do and specifically prohibits it from doing things outside those enumerated powers.  And NO!  THE CONSTITUTION IS NOT A LIVING DOCUMENT.  It contains provisions for changing it.  It is not subject to the whims of the Supreme Court.


     


    Please gentlemen and ladies...do not mouth off about things you have neither studied nor understand.  It just makes you look foolish and uninformed.

  • Reply 64 of 99
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    chazwatson wrote: »
    Real life calls.

    Later, skater. Again, spend some time out there and come back with a real argument.
  • Reply 65 of 99
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,407member
    chazwatson wrote: »

    I'm alright with the NSA possibly filtering through my communications.  Some people knew this was going on in the first place, but there wasn't proof.

    What are you afraid of?

    Just because you are alright with it -- and perhaps give a hoot about the fourth amendment -- does not mean that millions of others do. For instance, I am not ok with it.

    You ? World.
  • Reply 66 of 99
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,407member
    chazwatson wrote: »

    Again, what are you afraid of?

    Ah, I assume that, if you have broken no laws, you would have no problem allowing the FBI to search your house without a warrant, should they ever show up at your front door and ask to do that.

    After all, what are you afraid of?
  • Reply 67 of 99
    kdarlingkdarling Posts: 1,640member


    It's like using a tornado siren, or reverse 911.


     


    A primary reason to do it by cell in addition to radio stations or landlines, is that 1/3 of the country has no landline now.  And your privacy is actually better with mobile than reverse 911, because there's no need for anyone to know your cell phone number... it simply transmits to anyone using a cell in the alert area.


     


    For example, after the Boston Bombings, the alert system was used to ask everyone to shelter in place while the bombers were at large.


     


    Btw, Verizon's had it for a year.  Those of you who didn't have it already, missed out on the only Presidential alert that we'll hopefully ever get, which was a national test alert transmitted last Fall to make sure the system could do it.

  • Reply 68 of 99

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by BrianCPA View Post


     


     


    How does AT&T know which location I'm in in order to send me a tornado warning? Is this based on the address information AT&T has on file or actual location services on my phone?


     


    I would tend to think that the latter - using location services - would be the case, thus implying that this is a two-way communication, not just a one-way communication between the EAS and myself as others have suggested.



     


    It's AT&T's business to know where you are, who you are talking to and what you are talking about. Fortunately since your phone also knows who you are emailing and getting mail from, they read your mail and log your internet activity. How else do you suppose they can report your activities to the NSA? Even the camera is watching your every move and the ambient light sensor knows when you turn out your lights so AT&T night crews can enter your home and go through your private papers. 


     


    As an employee of AT&T I've taken a special interest in you ever since your girlfriend started sending you those private selfies. What a hottie!

  • Reply 69 of 99
    runbuhrunbuh Posts: 315member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post





    Whoa, whoa, whoa... That makes zero sense.

    What gives someone the right to force me to listen to them?


    Maybe because, oh, I don't know, this service is provided via FCC regulated and controlled RF spectrum?  Just like television and radio.  You can't opt out of the alerts on the TV and radio, either.


     


    In case someone wants to understand how/why this works:


     


    http://www.fcc.gov/guides/emergency-alert-system-eas


     


    http://www.fcc.gov/guides/wireless-emergency-alerts-wea

  • Reply 70 of 99
    ziadjkziadjk Posts: 55member
    runbuh wrote: »
    Maybe because, oh, I don't know, this service is provided via FCC regulated and controlled RF spectrum?  Just like television and radio.  You can't opt out of the alerts on the TV and radio, either.

    In case someone wants to understand how/why this works:

    http://www.fcc.gov/guides/emergency-alert-system-eas

    http://www.fcc.gov/guides/wireless-emergency-alerts-wea

    Just as a preemptive response to those who will inevitably respond by saying "but we can turn off our TVs and radios", yes and you can turn off your phone too lol
  • Reply 71 of 99

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post





    Ah, I assume that, if you have broken no laws, you would have no problem allowing the FBI to search your house without a warrant, should they ever show up at your front door and ask to do that.



    After all, what are you afraid of?


     


    We're not talking about house searching.  We're talking about filtering through electronic communications.


     


    You're like those idiots that say, "Well if we let men marry men then what's next?  People marrying farm animals?"


     


    Get a grip.

  • Reply 72 of 99

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by GrangerFX View Post



    "AT&T adds emergency alert system" so that Big Brother can talk us whenever it wants.



    Sure this system is optional now. But since it is in our own best interest, how long before these become mandatory alerts? How long before we are require to acknowledge official alerts with a thumb print? And how the heck do we know what this or any other software update mandated by the government really contains in a closed system? Where can I get a look at the source code of this update to make sure it has nothing else in there to spy on us with the location tracking, microphones or cameras?



    I fully admit that the above is paranoid thinking but if there is one thing the last couple of weeks have taught us is that we are not being paranoid enough.


     


    It's the cell phone equivalent of emergency broadcast system.


    You didn't protest a public address system that gave you early warning about the Soviets launching a first strike against the West.

  • Reply 73 of 99

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post





    Later, skater. Again, spend some time out there and come back with a real argument.


     


    Do you see the irony in your statement?  All you've got are personal attacks.

  • Reply 74 of 99

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post



    Just because you are alright with it -- and perhaps give a hoot about the fourth amendment -- does not mean that millions of others do. For instance, I am not ok with it.


     


    Why don't you do something about it then, instead of posting here?

  • Reply 75 of 99
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Sky King View Post


    Thank you to those who pointed out (accurately) that if I had read the article carefully, I would have seen that I could turn the PUSH notifications off.  Thank you also to those who point out that this is the first step is the government forcing us to accept their push notifications whether we want to participate or not.  


     


    And for those who do not either read or understand the Constitution:  Please refer to Article 1, Section 8 (the enumerated posers section) and also to Amendment #10.  The constitution is explicit in telling exactly what the federal government may do and specifically prohibits it from doing things outside those enumerated powers.  And NO!  THE CONSTITUTION IS NOT A LIVING DOCUMENT.  It contains provisions for changing it.  It is not subject to the whims of the Supreme Court.


     


    Please gentlemen and ladies...do not mouth off about things you have neither studied nor understand.  It just makes you look foolish and uninformed.



     


    And just how do you intend to enforce your declaration that the Constitution is not subject to the whims of the SCOTUS. Simply saying something is unconstitutional does not make it so, especially when the person saying it is not a member of the Supreme Court. It is and has been the job of the SCOTUS to interpret the Constitution and they have done so since it's inception. My departed brother-in-law was like you, always mouthing off about how this or that was unconstitutional. Of course things he agreed with were always constitutional and things he didn't like always seemed to be unconstitutional. That's why we have judges as arbiters.

  • Reply 76 of 99
    ricmacricmac Posts: 65member


    Reading through all these reminds me that Americans are generally getting more stupid by the day.  Unbelievable.

  • Reply 77 of 99
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post





    Just because you are alright with it -- and perhaps give a hoot about the fourth amendment -- does not mean that millions of others do. For instance, I am not ok with it.



    You ? World.


     


    Quote:

    Originally Posted by chazwatson View Post


     


    Why don't you do something about it then, instead of posting here?



     


    Well, that's the rub isn't. These guys get all fired up about their rights, and their liberties, and their opinions BUT, that's where it stops. They are unwilling to take the next step, trying to do something about it. They think the ballot box won't change anything (because their fellow citizens are stupid sheep, don't you know) so all they are left with are their impotent rantings. That next step eludes them because they are mouthy cowards in the end.

  • Reply 78 of 99
    chiachia Posts: 714member


    Originally Posted by libertyforall View Post


     


    Government is MUCH more the problem, than any kind of solution!  I want LESS government in my life -- this just adds MORE.  No thanks!  What is this, Communist China?!



     


    Put your money where your mouth is, move to a place with little or no functioning government, e.g. Somalia or some remote island in an Indonesian archipelago.


    Report back to us in a year or two how so much better your life is without government.


    Others will follow your lead if you end up better off as a result.

  • Reply 79 of 99
    WEA is one of the best alerting protocols to ever come out. The AMBER alerts sent to phones have already been proven to help recover kidnapped and endangered children. The severe weather alerts help wake people when there is severe weather coming, acting like a smoke alarm for tornadoes. Let's all hope the presidential alert is never used... You know something bad is happening when that happens.

    As far as privacy, the alerts are a broadcast alert, your phone sends nothing back to the tower, AT&T, Apple, the Government, or anyone else. The alerts are encoded with a specific ID so your phone knows if it's gotten the alert yet if it moves to a new tower in the effected area.

    Yes, it is optional, but enabled by default. I would encourage everyone to keep it enabled as it could save your life someday...
  • Reply 80 of 99
    chazwatson wrote: »
    Why don't you do something about it then, instead of posting here?

    Your sophomoric arguments are only trumped by your density.

    How do you know I am not? In any event, what does that have to do with the discussion at hand?
Sign In or Register to comment.