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RS, Author, Novelist | 1 years ago (raw) | root | parent | reply | flag 
 @17cb16ac When I heard that sound todayI thought, "How many unfortunate people are about to get the hell beat out of them." 

The biggest issue I've read centers around it alerting abusers that the abused has a secret cellphone they use for their own safety. I know my iPhone has setting to turn off Amber alerts, as well as emergency alerts or turn off the sound on the same. Not sure if that disables the national alert. Don't know if the setting is available on the cheapest phone. 

#emergencyalert #nationalalert
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a37e36e0 | 1 years ago (raw) | root | parent | reply | flag 
 @6e9427cf yeah that’s the most reasonable complaint I’ve seen, I guess. 

I want to say that “some people have secret phones” is perhaps not a reason to NOT implement a national alert system, and I only say that because a national alert system seems really useful if you ever need to use it. There is just this scenario where it would alert people to a secret device. 

I suppose if you can opt out universally then that’s fine. Only people who want to opt out are going to opt out.
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RS, Author, Novelist | 1 years ago (raw) | root | parent | reply | flag 
 @17cb16ac Well said. Every innovation has a dark side. I've been seeing the warnings to the abused a lot recently, even in the hashtags we both participate in. I'd certainly like to know if I'd turned off the setting I cited it would have mute this "boss monster" of alerts. If the FTC made a requirement that muting was possible and easy (I don't know, maybe it did), I'm sure manufacturers would lobby against it and conspiracy theorists would mute it and miss the very emergencies they are hoping to take advantage of...