【】

  发布时间:2025-04-03 11:11:11   作者:玩站小弟   我要评论
If you live in or close to New York City, your cellphone likely made a strange sound at about 8 a.m. 。

If you live in or close to New York City, your cellphone likely made a strange sound at about 8 a.m. this morning. The noise accompanied a special notification about the identity of the chief suspect in this weekend's Chelsea bombing, 28-year-old Ahmad Khan Rahami, with advice to call 911 if he's spotted.

SEE ALSO:This smart ring will alert emergency responders if you need help

This is the wireless emergency alert (WEA) system in action. Rarely used, the system takes advantage of smartphone technology to push urgent alerts out to the public quickly. Considering smartphone penetration in the U.S. is about 80% of the population -- and most users carry their phones or have them nearby at all times -- the WEA system is arguably more effective at pushing alerts to the public than TV-based emergency broadcast system (EBS).

WEA basics

The system was first introduced in April 2012, and is most often used for severe weather and Amber alerts. Government agencies, both national and regional, decide when to issue them, and they typically do so only for situations that are "extreme, severe, immediate or imminent," an official with New York City Emergency Management told me after alerts went out during the blizzard of January 2015.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has final say over which agencies have access to the WEA system, according CTIA, an U.S.-based industry coalition of wireless carriers.

Once an agency decides to send out alert, it's pushed out via the wireless carriers. For most carriers, the alerts will sound on customers' phones within minutes or even seconds, and, although the alerts go out over their networks, the carriers have no say in whether or not they go out (technical glitches notwithstanding). However, the carriers' participation in the WEA system is voluntary, according to the FCC's FAQ page on WEAs.

Mashable Light SpeedWant more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter.By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Thanks for signing up!

To WEA or not to WEA

The alert about Rahami appears to be the first time the system has been used as a digital wanted poster, at least in the New York region. However, in the aftermath of the 2013 Boston marathon bombings, law enforcement issued an alert to city residents advising them of the manhunt for then-suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and to "take shelter."

There are three types of scenarios for WEAs: local emergencies (including weather and law-enforcement situations), Amber alerts and directives from the President of the United States. Smartphone users can opt out of the first two but not the third.

Mashable ImageThe settings for WEAs on iOSCredit: Apple

If you wish to opt out of WEAs, on iOS, go to Settings, then Notifications. Scroll all the way to the bottom, and you'll see "Government Alerts." From there, simply tap the toggles of the alerts you don't want.

On Android, the opt-out procedure varies, with some phones having a specific notification setting for turning off the alerts and others that you make the change from the phone's default messaging app. You should contact your carrier or phone's manufacturer if you have difficulty finding the setting.

What the alerts are

The alerts are not technically SMS text messages. Although they go over carrier networks, they use a separate technology that "will not get stuck" if wireless traffic is congested in the region -- often a problem in an emergency situation. They're limited to 90 characters, CTIA says, and don't appear to have any way to attach multimedia -- hence the advisement to "See media for pic" in the Rahami alert.

WEAs will override the volume controls of your phone, chiming with the emergency broadcast signal for several seconds. In practice, it means several phones in a place -- a subway car, restaurant or busy street corner -- will suddenly make the same sound, which can happen several times, depending on when individual carriers issue the alerts.

While eerie, that effect is precisely the point. When a government agency issues a WEA, it's to make sure the public is aware of an emergency situation that may require immediate action.

  • Tag:

相关文章

  • Over 82,000 evacuate as Blue Cut fire rapidly spreads in southern California

    A rapidly spreading wildfire in southern California's Cajon Pass has grown in hot, dry weather, thre
    2025-04-03
  • 李子柒螺螄粉袋裝

    前言 :李子柒的螺螄粉怎麽那麽難吃?因為每個人的口味各不相同螺獅粉為什麽那麽臭 ?就像魚香肉絲裏沒有魚,夫妻肺片裏麵沒有肺片一樣,螺螄粉裏麵沒有螺螄 。但,有螺螄不屈不滅的靈魂 。在一碗完整的螺螄粉中 ,螺螄是
    2025-04-03
  • 歌曲先生再見

    前言 :答:《先生再見》歌曲是陳瑞根據盧慕貞寫給孫中山的離別信改編而來的 ,這首歌曲並不是寫給誰的。其實《先生再見》也是一封信,原本是盧慕貞和孫中山離婚時,寫給孫中山的。信中表達了盧氏的豁達大度 ,但也流露
    2025-04-03
  • 龍淑芬什麽梗

    龍淑芬什麽梗?出自《歡樂喜劇人第五季》第四期,盧鑫玉浩的相聲《俠客行不行》:說到小龍女的本名,竟然叫“龍淑芬”。重慶有家特別有名的燒烤串串,就叫重慶串串-淑芬掌...淑芬是什麽梗問題一:何娟淑芬是什麽
    2025-04-03
  • Early Apple

    One of the first Apple computers ever made is currently up for auction.A rare "Celebration" Apple-1
    2025-04-03
  • 易唱網

    前言:答:《零幾年聽的情歌》歌詞 :寫一首十幾歲聽的情歌 ,可惜我沒在那個時候遇見你否則我努力活到百歲後 ,就剛好愛你一整個世紀被我抓在手心裏的秘密 ,總有一天會親手交給你再行不通我就要穿越回過去,剛好愛你一
    2025-04-03

最新评论