Some have filed suit to stop it while others have argued there’s nothing to worry about, but whether you like it or not at 2:18 PM EDT your phone buzzed an irritating sound and vibrated as you received an unsolicited text message from none other than President Donald Trump himself.
Minutes later, at 2:20 PM EDT, for those listening or tunied in, the radio and television versions of the same alert system will be launched.
So what the hell is going on?
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is in charge of the new system, the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) text message “will appear on consumers’ phones and read, ‘THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.’ Phones will display this national test using the header ‘Presidential Alert.’ These nationwide alerts, established pursuant to the WARN Act of 2006, are meant for use in a national emergency and are the only type of alert that can be sent simultaneously nationwide by FEMA.”
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