On October 4th, 2023, the entirety of the United States experienced a test alarm that was sent to all electronic devices, including TVs, laptops, and mobile phones.
The test began at roughly 12:20 P.M. Mountain Standard Time, during 4th period, and went off for different amounts of time depending on the device.
The alert left many people wondering why the test was even necessary, or why it had to affect everyone in the country. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or “FEMA”, the sudden alarm was meant to “ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level” (FEMA and FCC).
Unfortunately, there was no way to not participate in this test. “While some recent models of mobile phones may include a setting to opt-out of tests and alerts, none of these settings will affect the 2023 national test,” said an author on CNN. In short, the government wanted to ensure that all U.S. citizens cano receive national alerts in case of a major emergency.
Many were bothered by, and even upset in some cases, that the U.S. government was able to conduct this emergency test, and failed to see the test’s purpose. The fact that the government has the ability to send out a national alert to every single electronic device concerns some, calling into question the privacy of U.S. citizens.
If this country’s leadership can send out an alert to all devices at any given moment, some wonder what else they are able to do without our knowledge or consent. Should government officials be able to connect to every device that’s online whenever they please?
The test called into question the privacy and security of cell phones and our country causing many to wonder whether the government should have access to individual cell phones and other electronic devices; such are the conflicts of our time.
