Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by chromas on Saturday October 06 2018, @09:25PM   Printer-friendly

Lawsuit seeks to stop FEMA's "Presidential Alert" system to cellphones citing First Amendment violation

A new lawsuit filed in New York is seeking to stop the implementation of FEMA's new "Presidential Alert" messaging system, an alert used for national emergencies that can be deployed by President Trump. Plaintiffs in Manhattan are suing Mr. Trump and FEMA Administrator Brock Long, claiming the alert system is a "violation of Americans' First and Fourth Amendment rights to be free from Government-compelled listening, as well as warrantless, non-consensual trespass into and seizure of their cellular devices."

Plaintiffs compare the alert system to "hijacking private property for the purpose of planting a Government-controlled loudspeaker in the home and on the person of every American." This new presidential alert is nationwide and only used for advance warning of national crises.

According to FEMA, the alert is not a text or SMS (short message service) but an audio and text warning that will display as a notification across a user's cellphone -- similar to the ones carriers receive during Amber Alerts and weather emergencies.

Previously: FEMA Emergency Test Message to be Sent to Most U.S. Cell Phones on Sept. 20 (or Oct. 3)
What to Expect From the U.S. Wireless Emergency Alert Test Today


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 06 2018, @09:50PM (10 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 06 2018, @09:50PM (#745200)

    an alert used for national emergencies that can be deployed by President Trump

    Um, no. It can be deployed by ANY President. Even the ones that come after Trump.

    As long as it's not abused and used only for actual emergency notifications (aside from the hopefully rare test), what's the fucking problem? While the situations are rare when it's appropriate to get some kind of message out to everyone in the country, when it happens it's damn useful. I'm thinking of when all airplanes across the U.S. were grounded for several days after the 9/11 attacks -- sending that notice out via this method would be appropriate IMO.

    Sheesh, cell phones have been around for decades, and there's been ONE test of this system. I'd suggest waiting to see how it's used, before bitching about it. But some people see "Trump" and they're instantly foaming at the mouth.

    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   +3  
       Insightful=2, Informative=1, Total=3
    Extra 'Insightful' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   3  
  • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 06 2018, @09:54PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 06 2018, @09:54PM (#745205)

    First they came for my cellphone and I said nothing because cell phones are for kids. . .

  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday October 06 2018, @09:54PM

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Saturday October 06 2018, @09:54PM (#745206) Journal
  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 06 2018, @10:02PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 06 2018, @10:02PM (#745212)

    Don't want to hear from any president poking a message at my phone, now or later, daytime or night time. Who cares if all the planes are grounded, anyone that is actually scheduled to fly at that time will find out soon enough, if nothing else their airlines will notify the actual people that are affected. Have you got a better example for why any president should be able to address everyone in the country (when we have no useful way to send messages back)?

    Here's a logical extension to show you what this means. I was in S. Korea on a beach in the 1980s and there was a string of loudspeakers (big PA horns) blasting propaganda 24/7. I think they were partly there to keep everyone aware that spies from the north could be swimming or kayaking in at any time (this was common back then), but when I asked it was mostly about how great the current national leadership was doing. I asked our host how he dealt with the constant barrage and he shrugged, said that he sort of tuned it out.

    Now with this alert system and the ability to broadcast to any phone, we have the potential of the same kind of yammering, without the government even needing to maintain a PA system--the phone companies will maintain their networks on their own.

    • (Score: 2) by epitaxial on Sunday October 07 2018, @06:54AM (1 child)

      by epitaxial (3165) on Sunday October 07 2018, @06:54AM (#745413)

      Owning a cell phone is not a right.

      • (Score: -1) by fakefuck39 on Monday October 08 2018, @11:25PM

        by fakefuck39 (6620) on Monday October 08 2018, @11:25PM (#746200)

        owning one is not a right, but being able to own one is a right. also, finishing 3rd grade to get that sweet basic reading comprehension is a right. you should take advantage of that before spewing random garbage that has nothing to do with what you're replying to.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by hemocyanin on Saturday October 06 2018, @10:08PM (2 children)

    by hemocyanin (186) on Saturday October 06 2018, @10:08PM (#745215) Journal

    When a Jehovah's Witness knocks on your door, you are free to invite them in for a chat, take their pamphlet politely and round file it after they leave, tell them to fuck off. It is their right to present an idea to you, and yours to decide whether to engage or not engage to varying degrees.

    The presidential alerts don't give you that choice. You can't disable them like Amber Alerts. You are required to acknowledge you have received it before your device is returned to your use which is a type of forced speech. I think the analogy to the loudspeaker truck case, where people are forced to engage with the Jehovah's Witness or President or candidate or whoever, is pretty apt. People have the right to freely convey their ideas, but people also have the right to reject those ideas and choose to ignore them -- speakers do not have the right force people to hear them -- that is unless you have a phone that will receive Presidential alerts.

    • (Score: 2) by Joe Desertrat on Saturday October 06 2018, @11:46PM (1 child)

      by Joe Desertrat (2454) on Saturday October 06 2018, @11:46PM (#745255)

      You are required to acknowledge you have received it before your device is returned to your use which is a type of forced speech.

      I was able to use mine, but I don't use it for anything other than as a phone.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 07 2018, @09:53PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 07 2018, @09:53PM (#745649)

        It just pops up as a text notification that looks like a regular text message except with a different colored border and maybe a silly little seal to show it is official.

        While this is a nuisance it is really just a further example of how much control Americans have given up over their devices as well as their government, and since neither seems likely to change in my lifetime it is looking more and more like the time to part ways.

  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 07 2018, @01:29AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 07 2018, @01:29AM (#745299)

    One word: Hawaii.

    "BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL."

    • (Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Sunday October 07 2018, @06:06AM

      by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Sunday October 07 2018, @06:06AM (#745398) Homepage Journal

      Thank you, Anonymous. So many folks don't get it. You get it. My Presidential Alerts are for my MOST IMPORTANT messages. The ones I want ALL AMERICANS -- all Americans that have Cell Phones -- to get. About the nuclear, about ISIS, about Hurricane & Earthquake. Alt-left violence, BIE riots. Flu. And, test messages. We did a test message this week, it was tremendous. And it's going to be mostly test messages.

      Not, Sushi Nakazawa opened up at Trump International Hotel. The best seafood, beautiful gold decor. Not, we got two great guys, the best guys, on SC, big victory over Dems. Not, get out and VOTE on Nov. 6th..

      I call it my Presidential Alerts. But, they're an Obama thing. He was a DISASTER for our Country. And he wanted everyone to know. His message was, here I am, here come the disasters. So his people came up with the Alerts. And possibly, I'll never need them. I have 150 million followers on Social Media, they love my VERY POSITIVE message. And we're going to have a lot less disasters than we had with Obama. Very successful negotiations with Chairman Kim -- frankly, we fell in love with each other. And North Korea will be denuking very soon. And, big victories over ISIS -- which, by the way, Obama is the founder of (and Crooked H is the co-founder). Big victories over ISIS, we helped Syria & Iraq to win Mosul and Raqqa. And ISIS, basically it's a nothing now. Because of me!!!