Every phone in UK to sound ’emergency alarm’ on St George’s Day
A new public alert system will be tested on St George’s Day which will cause mobile phones across the UK to sound a siren-like emergency warning.
Once phone users receive the warning, which will be accompanied by a loud alarm and vibration, they will be locked out of using any of the devices features until they acknowledge the alert on Sunday 23rd April.
The new emergency alert system has been modelled based on similar schemes in the US and Canada and has been designed to notify the public should their life be in danger such as during severe weather related events, fire or terrorist attack.
The UK Government has so far tested the warning system in East Sussex and Reading over the past year, but now plans to conduct a nationwide test on all comparable phones – which will sound even if the phone is on silent.
Warning
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden said: “We are strengthening our national resilience with a new emergency alerts system, to deal with a wide range of threats – from flooding to wildfires.
“It will revolutionise our ability to warn and inform people who are in immediate danger, and help us keep people safe.
“As we’ve seen in the US and elsewhere, the buzz of a phone can save a life.”
People can opt out from receiving the emergency alert by disabling it in their device settings but the UK Government hope mobile phone users keep the alert system active in the event of an emergency.
The alerts are free to receive and will include the area affected by a possible emergency and provide details on what to do next.
The Cabinet Office have insisted the alert will not reveal anyone’s location or collect personal data.
The executive director for flood and coastal erosion risk management at the Environment Agency, said: “Being able to communicate warnings in a timely and accurate manner during incidents is really important to help people take action to protect themselves, their families, and their neighbours.”
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St George the Syrian guy?
The very one and quite likely to get shipped off to Rwanda if he turned up on these shores today.
St. George’s day. The drip drip brainwashing continues.
A Dowden announced Tory plan to block our phones under order of compliance. Remove SIM card, turn off phone until this attack has passed.
Yep, training us to be good little Circus Chimps. They really do have such hatred and Distain for us!
How do you acknowledge the alert? “Once phone users receive the warning, which will be accompanied by a loud alarm and vibration, they will be locked out of using any of the devices features until they acknowledge the alert on Sunday 23rd April.” How do you acknowledge the alert, NO mention of how you do that!
You can turn off the alerts on the android or apple Settings. I’d also contact your network provider and let them know if they block your phone you are not paying for that day, they have also given everyone’s name and number out which is against GDPR. they can block me for one day if they want but surely we can cope one day without a phone
You just click on OK under the message (as shown in the photo above) and that will turn off the alarm.
I read this and immediately looked up how to deactivate emergency alerts. My partner and I agree that we don’t mind having it, but it’s an insult to non-English people to have this nationwide test on St. George’s Day.
FTR you simply go to your phone’s settings app and search for Emergency alerts, click on the section you’re directed to and switch it off. I will switch it back on on the 24th April.
Thanks Owain. I have found that on my phone and turned it off. It would be nice to be able to select from whom one receives such alerts. If it is anybody in a Government organisation then the need to send an acknowledgement clearly lets them find out where everybody is located, even if you have location switched off they can do it from the phone network. Nasty piece of surveillance.
Thanks I will turn min off.
75 years on, your NI number has gathered a database around you.
40 years on armed guards, barricades still stand in London. now Cardiff rugby games.
25 years on, airports cut usoff from loved ones – now full body scanners, machine guns.
10 years on, the cameras are still up, but some add facial recognition tech now.
3 years on, the barriers from Corona still stand in our supermarkets. Video panels now.
And your government will now send you a siren alert to your pocket wherever you are.
It’s never too late to stop what’s coming.
How is this safe for people driving?
I heard something similar once and when I came to I was in Piccadilly Circus covered in someone else’s blood.
I do hope they sorted out that glitch.
Looked at this and had to check that it was not the 1st of April.
When is St George’s day and will this reach my stupid very old phone?
Who was St. George?
1984. This is sinister.
This is for a nuclear attack ?warning.
Nah, just a bit of training for us, like good little circus Chimps. Purpose: know your place and respect authority!
So the inglish government can hack every mobile device in the UK while at the same time try to convince us that using tik tok is more risky than using any other social media
Why is every article turned into anti-English or anti-Tory whinge? If you think the government is out to hack your phone you’d better throw it in the bin because most people give out their own personal details on social media and your every move can be tracked via your mobile phone.
Nah, I’d rather the meteor hit us!