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US lawmakers want streaming services like Netflix to issue emergency alerts
A bipartisan bill reintroduced in the Senate by US Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) and John Thune (R-S.D.) could lead to emergency alerts issued through online video and audio streaming services like Netflix and Spotify. The Senators originally introduced the bill last year after that infamous false missile alert text went out across Hawai'i. Called the Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement (READI) Act, it would prevent the same thing from happening while making sure that more people receive real and relevant alerts.
In addition to exploring ways on how alerts can be issued through streaming services, READI Act would eliminate the ability to opt out of receiving certain federal alerts, including ones for incoming missiles. Alerts issued by the President or by FEMA would also have to be repeated -- at the moment, it can only be played once on TV and radio stations. It would compel FEMA to prevent false alarms and would establish a reporting system for false alerts that the FCC can track, as well.
Senator Schatz said in a statement:
"When a missile alert went out across Hawai'i last year, some people never got the message on their phones, while others missed it on their TVs and radios. Even though it was a false alarm, the missile alert exposed real flaws in the way people receive emergency alerts. Our bill fixes a number of important problems with the system responsible for delivering emergency alerts. In a real emergency, these alerts can save lives so we have to do everything we can to get it right."
(Score: 1, Troll) by jmichaelhudsondotnet on Sunday October 27 2019, @12:10PM (5 children)
Amazing to me how much bipartisan support stuff like this immediately gets, like the whole country could literally be burning(it is actually) and they have this thousand page prewritten plan to centralize something nationally in an invasive way, for our safety, to fight teh tewwowists, save the children, announced about 5 minutes before it becomes law.
They have the reigns so they are ramming as much through as they can. In order for this to work they have to have a real location from teh network distributing the content, so netflix gets all this extra tracking and geoloc backdoor.
Then once it is in place en mass, they can send individual messages if they want with all the new bells and whistles. Next step, national streaming channel for required viewing, next step...use your imagination.
What would you do if you could inject something into anyone's viewing screen any time you wanted?
Slimy lateral power grab, into your house, into your brain.
Can someone look up for me the physical location of the companies and the backgrounds of the executive staff who will be operating this program?
All this stuff looks like dark foreboding shadows of epic bullshit headed our way.
Also, streaming itself is an unintelligent way, and centralized, way to distribute content. And all of the streaming services have awful selections, which is actually the new form of censorship and book burning.
If amazon and netflix dont have you, you dont exist and never did. Now they will be able to broadcast directly what you need to know is important, right alongside the avengers.
The kids will be impressed with Trump's power, he will be like a big brother to them.
thesesystemsarefailing.net
https://archive.is/10owR [archive.is]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 27 2019, @02:21PM
Get help. A psychiatrist now is cheaper than a team of lawyers later.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 27 2019, @02:50PM
Cannot be big brother without a mustache. Creepy Uncle Joe for big brother 2020!
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday October 27 2019, @03:14PM (1 child)
Streaming sites already have your IP address and rest assured most of them were already looking it up in a geoloc db. There'd be nothing new going on except the annoying interruptions.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Monday October 28 2019, @02:28PM
Might be nothing new still, depending on your location, but I've frequently gotten geoloc errors thinking I was up to 300 miles away from where I am. (Thanks $bigcorp vending me my IP!)
This sig for rent.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Sunday October 27 2019, @05:18PM
streaming itself is an unintelligent way, and centralized, way to distribute content. And all of the streaming services have awful selections, which is actually the new form of censorship and book burning.
:-) "censorship", eh? Then use bittorrent. Problem solved.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..