Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Good news: Presidential spam coming to a cell phone near you




WTF?


A new national alert system is set to begin in New York City that will alert the public to emergencies via cell phones.

It’s called the Personal Localized Alert Network or PLAN. Presidential and local emergency messages as well as Amber Alerts would appear on cell phones equipped with special chips and software.

The Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency said the system would also warn about terrorist attacks and natural disasters.

“The lessons that were reinforced on 9/11 is the importance of getting clear and accurate information to the public during a crisis,” New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a news conference on Tuesday.

Verizon and AT&T, the nation’s largest cell phone carriers, are already on board. Consumers would be able to opt out of all but those presidential messages.

(italics, ours)

Now, that's just creepy. We don't care who's in the damn Oval Office - we're not down with stalkers.

And it's telling in this day in age that the default mode is that you are already enrolled in the plan and it's on you to have to tell them, "no, thanks."

In this time of PDAs, 24 hr. news channels, twitter, tumblr and the like, why did someone feel this was necessary?



Our cell service is with Sprint and they have been advised we will drop them like a bad habit should they, you know, opt in to this plan on our behalf.


Here's the text of the email we fired off to them earlier today:

Dear Sprint, (We've) had your cell phone service for several years now and have generally been very pleased with both the service and the customer support. It has come to (our) attention that both Verizon and AT&T have signed up for this supposed national emergency alert plan that (we) believe is both unnecessary and completely intrusive. As a customer, (we) felt it was in everybody's best interest to inform you that (we) will drop your service the moment (we) find out that Sprint has also signed up for this plan. Thank you for your time.

Auto reply said that we should hear back from them in one business day. We'll share what we get back.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Howdy! I'm at work browsing your blog from my new iphone 3gs! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the fantastic work!

My web blog: http://skalba.de/Necessary_Aspects_In_Biotechnology_-_Some_Insights

Anonymous said...

There is a growing need to meet the growing demand for biotechnology professionals and qualified graduates produced by
universities in the United States. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
emphasized this commitment, "We have allocated substantial resources for the development of such promising areas as nano-and biotechnology, nuclear energy, aerospace and other research. This film has many familiar faces such as John Lithgow, Brian Cox and Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films) but again we are shown just how advanced CGI is now -especially when combined with the acting talents of Andy Serkis- and it's easy to forget that Caesar isn't real.

My weblog Examining Core Aspects For biotechnology

Anonymous said...

I believe that each of us has the potential to create personal miracles,
and to spread these miracles throughout the world.
He tells the tale of a young boy, a tot, who was riding a toy car near the railroad crossing.
The facility of websites and online news are also getting lot of appreciation because it is very time saving
and people can read it in between their work.

Also visit my website; Latest Daily News

Anonymous said...

I've listened to this a dozen or more times and still find it delightful and sooooo original in concept. We realize that we don't
need to listen to outside authorities; we are not guided by our internal authority.

It's more than just doing the right things or being involved in a good opportunity.

my webpage ... Latest Daily News

Anonymous said...

The very next time I read a blog, I hope that it does not fail
me as much as this one. I mean, Yes, it was my choice to read through, however I
really thought you would have something helpful to say.
All I hear is a bunch of crying about something that you could fix if you
weren't too busy looking for attention.

My webpage :: http://businessfundingsuccessnow.com/

Anonymous said...

Itís nearly impossible to find educated people for this topic, however, you seem like you know
what youíre talking about! Thanks

my page celebrity news