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FEMA will test mobile 'Presidential Alert' on September 20th
Don't be surprised if your phone (and everybody else's) goes into a panic in the near future -- that's on purpose. FEMA and the FCC are conducting a national test of both the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts on September 20th starting at 2:18PM Eastern. If you're included in the test, your device will receive a tone and a "Presidential Alert" warning that makes clear this is just a dry run. You can't opt out, and if circumstances make it inappropriate to send an alert, the test will be postponed to October 3rd.
Arizona man gets 20 months in prison for emergency system DDoS attacks
Denial of service attacks are serious by themselves, but doubly so when they target vital systems... and one perpetrator is finding that out first-hand. A court has sentenced Arizona resident Randall Charles Tucker (who nicknamed himself the "Bitcoin Baron") to 20 months in prison for launching distributed denial of service attacks against city websites, including damaging attacks against Madison, Wisconsin. He not only took down the city's website, but "crippled" its emergency communication system to the point where first responders had trouble reaching the 911 center. It also 'degraded' the automatic dispatching for emergency crews.
iOS 12 will automatically share your location during 911 calls
Apple is joining Google, Uber and others in providing accurate location data that could save your life in an emergency. The company has revealed that iOS 12 will automatically (and importantly, securely) share your location with first responders during 911 calls in the US, including with RapidSOS' quicker, more accurate internet-based technology. So long as a 911 center supports it ("many" do), iOS should meet the FCC's 2021 requirement of pinpointing your location within 165 feet a minimum 80 percent of the time.
AT&T opens its public safety network to volunteer first responders
AT&T's approach to a public safety network has been available for a while, but only for emergency crews that supply phones and plans. That's not much good if you're a volunteer firefighter or otherwise have to bring your own device. However, you won't be out of the loop for long. AT&T has launched FirstNet plans for first responders who have to use personal accounts, whether they're volunteers or careerists. You'll need to be verified and use a FirstNet-friendly device like the Galaxy S9 or V35 ThinQ, but you'll use the same dedicated emergency network as other crews.
A French hospital is using VR as a drug-free pain solution
The use of virtual reality (and even video games) as an alternative form of pain management isn't exactly unheard of. Researchers are well aware of VR's potential to distract patients at the dentist and combat phantom pains, so it shouldn't be a surprise to see VR turning up in the emergency room. Graduate students at St Joseph's Hospital, France, have designed an immersive virtual program that is being used to help patients relax and increase pain tolerance without painkillers.
Airbnb lets hosts offer their homes for future emergencies
Airbnb hosts have long had the opportunity to offer free housing during emergencies. What about making yourself available ahead of time? If you live in the right area, you're set. The home rental service is launching a pilot program that will let San Jose residents put themselves on a standby list before there's even a hint of a crisis. The move should speed up the community's response in the event of a crisis, ensuring that stranded people don't have to wait for shelters over their heads.
Uber's 911 assistance is now available in the US
Uber's promised 911 assistance feature is now available in the US. If you're ever in an emergency, you can now call for help without having to leave the mobile app and lose track of your location. And if you live in certain cities (Denver, Charleston, Naples, Louisville and three Tennessee cities), a tie-in with RapidSOS will automatically share your location with 911 dispatchers. Uber told TechCrunch that it's in talks with other cities to implement location sharing, and that it'll ideally be available everywhere.
Google is making it easier for 911 to find you in an emergency
When you call 911 from a cellphone, your location is typically sent to the call taker by a wireless carrier. But that information isn't always so accurate. Well Google might have a better way of going about it and it tested its system across a few states in December and January, the Wall Street Journal reports. In the states where the tests took place, Google sent location data from a random selection of 911 callers using Android phones straight to the people taking those calls. The test included 50 call centers that cover around 2.4 million people in Texas, Tennessee and Florida, and early reports of the results suggest the system is promising.
Botched tsunami warning test is the latest false alarm
It's only been a few weeks since a false warning told Hawaiians that a missile attack was headed for their state, but another mistaken alert has been sent out into the world. Earlier this morning, an emergency tsunami alert was issued to East Coast residents via the widely-used Accuweather service. According to various tweets, the alert stretched as far north as Portland, Maine; an Engadget editor much further south in Jersey City also received the alert. Accuweather confirmed in a tweet that the original alert was a "test," though it certainly wasn't presented to those alerted in that fashion.
FCC investigates Hawaii's false missile alert
It's not just state officials who are investigating Hawaii's false alarm over a (thankfully non-existent) missile attack. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has confirmed that the regulator's investigation into the error is "well underway." While Pai shied away from making many definitive statements early on, he said that early findings suggested Hawaii didn't have "reasonable safeguards or process controls" to prevent a mistaken alert.
Japan's disaster alerts will work with all Android 8.1 phones
Japan gets a lot of natural disasters. Combine the threat of earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons (however mild), and it's easy to see why the Japanese government offers alerts across TV, radio and your mobile phone. Those smartphone alerts were usually baked in by carriers, which means if you had an unlocked phone, or a phone that's running on one of several MVNO phone carriers, you would miss out on the potentially lifesaving heads-up.
FCC Chairman wants Apple to enable FM in iPhones for emergencies (update)
You might think of radio as an archaic form of listening to music, but it's still one of the more effective ways to get information to people, especially when cell networks go down. Most smartphones already have an FM chip baked right into the chipset, but they tend to be inaccessible, especially in the US. Now FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is asking Apple to activate these FM chips already in iPhones. "Apple is the one major phone manufacturer that has resisted (activating the chips)," said Pai in a statement. "But I hope the company will reconsider its position, given the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria."
Facebook's 'Crisis Response' provides info during a disaster
Last year, it was reported that Facebook was working on an always-ready crisis hub that would bring together its Safety Check feature with posts and videos relating to an ongoing emergency. Today, it announced that the tool is going live.
Facebook makes Safety Check a permanent feature
Facebook is acting on its promise to make Safety Check a permanent feature. The social network is rolling out a dedicated Safety Check hub that helps you find any ongoing crisis without first being prompted to declare yourself as safe. It's not exactly a prominent feature (you'll have to dig into Facebook's large list of secondary features to find it), but it'll help you find emergency information and potentially help others in need.
Google SOS Alerts can guide you during a crisis
When you're in the midst of a crisis, your internet search priorities are clearly different than usual: am I in danger? Where can I go for safety? And who do I talk to for help? Google clearly recognizes this, as it's rolling out SOS Alerts in both its web search results and in Maps. Look for a relevant search term or location and you'll get official updates, contact information, a map of the affected area, top stories and translations for useful phrases. If you're browsing the Maps app, you'll see an icon on the map that you can tap to get vital info. And if you're in a perilous location, you may get a notification pointing you to this help.
Three fined £1.9 million for weak 999 call handling system
As Britain's telecoms regulator, Ofcom's responsibilities include fining providers for serious service blunders. Three is the latest company to be hit with one of Ofcom's invoices, having been fined £1,890,000 today for failing to appropriately protect customer access to emergency services.
How VW's Arteon keeps you alive if you pass out while driving
The Volkswagen Arteon is not a fully fledged self-driving car, but it definitely has some fancy autonomous features. The sedan, which is due to land in the United States this summer, features a program that will recognize if a driver has blacked out at the wheel and then gently steer the car to the side of the road.
Once-banned Vigilante app now warns of nearby emergencies
Late last year, Sp0n released a Vigilante mobile app that was supposed to warn you of nearby crimes and emergencies. Or rather, it tried to release the app -- Apple quickly pulled the title after worrying that the name and focus encouraged users to thrust themselves into dangerous situations. After a few months of retooling, however, it's back. The newly rebadged Citizen for Android and iOS will still warn you when someone nearby has reported an emergency to 911, but the emphasis this time is on safety. If there's a robbery in progress down the street, you're encouraged to avoid it. If you are caught up in an incident, however, you'll have tools at your disposal.
Swedish Ambulances can hijack your in-car tunes during emergencies
When people tell you not to play music at full blast in your car, they're not necessarily raining on your parade -- there's a real concern that you might not hear an emergency vehicle until the last moment. You might not have to worry quite so much if a Swedish experiment proves successful, though. Ambulances in Stockholm are testing a KTH-made system (EVAM) that interrupts in-car audio with a voice warning when they're close by and responding to a crisis. The only requirement is that your car's FM tuner support the Radio Data System format, which is common in the cars you see on the road. The interruptions are speed-sensitive, too, so you'll get notices at greater distances when you're on the highway.
Google's Trusted Contacts app lets people know you're safe
In the event of an emergency, it's not always easy to notify people that you are safe. Google knows that, so it's created Trusted Contacts, a new app that can automatically share your status and location with friends or loved ones. It's available today on Android and will soon be available on iOS devices.
