To think there’s something a bit sinister about the Government Emergency Alert test on 7th September?

[ThisAmberSignal]

I know it’s being pitched as just a routine safety check, “nothing to worry about” but I can’t help but feel uneasy. Why now? Why the sudden push to roll this out and get everyone’s phones buzzing at the same time?
Is it really just a public safety measure or could there be something more going on here - surveillance, control, a soft rollout of something bigger?

AIBU to feel suspicious… or do others get the same vibe?

Oh come on. If it’s going to be a useful thing, it has to be tested. Otherwise, what’s the point? There’s nothing coming. But sure, go and hide under a table. Just in case.

Putin gearing up for nuclear war. You’re welcome. 👍

@Patterma in the last 2 and a half years the alert has been used 5 times.
4 of those were for extreme weather warnings.
I'm pretty sure the government knows that there will be more storms in the future. I mean there's been danger to life storms since time began.
So when you say "they blatantly know something is coming" you are actually correct. It's called dangerous weather 😂

All three of ours (DH, me, adult DD)went off within seconds at 3pm. Quite loud. Scared the poor cat!. I found if you didn't cancel within a few seconds then you got the alert read out to you, including the Welsh bit.

Just had it on my phone at 3pm. Clicked on ok and stopped

I'm christian and fed up with stupid conspiracy theorists. Don't you want to get warned if impending danger appears?!!!!

You're exactly the kind of simple person I'd expect to be in favour of government overreach; blindly trusting of authority and cynical Establishment narratives, even after all we've seen over the last ten years. They pee on you constantly and tell you it's raining, and yet you're giddily happy with your yellow weather warning.

Baa, baa.

Lunatic conspiracy theorists trying to claim the intellectual high ground. Highly amusing.

Yes, trust the government, they'd never lie to or cynically manipulate you; like locking you in your homes to "save the NHS" while rewarding establishment lobbyists with lucrative business, trying to force through ID cards for the Plebes, compelling non-vulnerable people to be vaccinated using untested technology, censoring the internet, locking political prisoners up for 'hate speech', and literally spraying the unwitting residents of Dorset etc. with chemicals (lol) for decades. Any concern about government overreach or centralisation of control is all just a conspiracy theory.

The UK isn't turning into a hellscape with increasingly few freedoms, don't worry. You just go back to reading your wee Bible and keep calling people a pejorative term used to silence dissent.

Yes, this is indeed the statement of an intellectual heavyweight. Well done.

I was on the loo at the time. It certainly sped the process up. Unfortunately I have a phobia of water pipes and public conveniences. Could not have chosen a worse place 🙈

Once again for the "UK government is up to something" tinfoil hatters, the following countries have emergency mobile alert systems.

the United States
the Netherlands
Canada
Japan
Taiwan
Chile
the Philippines
Turkey
states in the European Union

As well as dangers such as floods which we in the UK face, these countries can face risks like wildfires, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.

Alert systems can save lives.

And how many years in your life have you had a smart phone? And out of those years how many of them were there when the majority of people in the country had a smart phone.

Anyway, I’ll keep taking the anti elephant pills, I’ve not been trampled by elephants yet so it must be working.

You're so amusingly naïve. You cite countries with earthquakes and hurricanes, and often very centralised governmental systems. This, of course, only started being seriously pushed in the UK after the Pandemic and escalating tensions with the BRICS bloc, increased military spending and attempted recruitment. Total coincidence, I'm sure. It's just to save people from floods, bro. Honest. 😂

I feel the same about the office fire alarm test every Thursday. Why are they testing it then? WHY???!

In the same way governments are building military infrastructure subtly so as not to panic the populace, the Alert System is clearly being rolled out as a precautionary measure as the world geo-politically destabilises. The UK had damn all interest in such alert systems after the Cold War, right up to 2020. Then, wow, now we have alert systems being rolled out and routinely tested. Total coinkydink.

And btw, for folks who blindly trust these systems and their social roll, such systems are only as reliable and trustworthy as the people giving the orders via them; and they have hardly inspired confidence, historically.

I got the alert last Sunday. And I'm in Ireland and not anywhere near the border. My phone made a high alarm sound that I didn't know my phone was capable of making and vibrated also. I presume it is legit, so we can be better prepared for emergency situations

Last time I was with 3 and didn’t get the alert. I wondered if they are having another go to make sure that it works as it should.

To be fair, I'd probably advise somebody who couldn't manage to tap on the off/OK button as it came up that it's for the best that it's disabled on their phones, too.

Thing is as some have pointed out having a national warning system isn't new, it's just the systems have evolved to be more flexible encompass more threats and embrase modern technology.

Some may remember/ have worked with steam driven systems such as this:

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handel_(warning_system)

If Mr Putin launches a nuclear attack, by the time someone here reacts and gets the message sent, we are all going to be toast anyway, today's missiles so fast, so I guess not the primary purpose.

When I have been in the US I have found getting an alert for severe weather and land slides really useful. Also had one for an abducted child which I thought was a really good use of the system. Was asked to look out for a particular vehicle together with the reg. I think it's a good idea.

We abandoned such Cold War systems after 1980s. A lot of negative precedents were established in the UK during the Cold War, for example non-consensual chemical and biological warfare experiments being conducted on unwitting citizens etc. Because a precedent exists, that does not make the system neutral or positive.

However, what is more disconcerting about these recent developments is when you combine such an invasive 'warning system' with developments like the UK's glorified psychological-warfare dept, the new Nudge Unit established in 2010 by David Cameron's government to steer the populace's decision-making via the application of behavioural science. This is what people in the know are concerned about, and rightly so.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

It's recommended to have these tests at least every 2 years.
Personally I think it should be every year or even 6 months.
Not everyone received it this time either so the system still isn't 100% perfect so must still need work.
The paranoia about this alert is ridiculous and almost hilarious in a weird way.

ill take my chances of not joining the sheep and not getting a text if I see a lot of people running past my house screaming I may join them lol