EDITORIAL: Obama’s 300 million new Twitter followers

[Geee]

Washington Times:

The government has your cell phone number, and it’s going to send you text messages whether you like it or not. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski joined Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator W. Craig Fugate in New York City on Tuesday to announce a multimillion dollar federal program that, in theory, will notify mobile phone users in times of grave emergency. Like so many Washington-centric ideas, this one was obsolete long before it got off the drawing board.

Wireless phone providers have agreed to distribute “Homeland Security” messages that will automatically pop up on cell phone screens whenever a government agency determines there is a threat or disaster in the vicinity of the phone user. Notifications include alerts whenever a child is reported missing, which often happens during custody fights between family members. Customers must actively opt-out of these “features” if they do not want to be disturbed while going about their business, but there will be no way to suppress unwanted communications from the president.

That means, while driving along, a special “emergency” ring tone might sound on phones nationwide. In 31 states, plus the District, reading that urgent notification while behind the wheel could set the user up to be ticketed for violating anti-text messaging laws. That’s a sign that maybe, just maybe, this feel-good scheme hasn’t been fully thought through.

In 2006, Congress dreamed the idea of requiring federal agencies to come up with a “national alert system” that would serve as an updated version of the warning system already in place for broadcast television. When the legislation was first introduced, iPhones did not exist and Twitter was in its infancy. The fundamental difference these technologies have created in the ensuing years became apparent last week when news of the death of Osama bin Laden spread across the Internet more than an hour before President Obama made his official announcement.

[clearvision]

Another waste of money. Please stop.

[nickydog]

They won't be able to contact me. My cell phone is never turned on. I only have it in case of an emergency -- accident, flat tire, or if I see something while shopping and need to call thebean.