Amber Alerts override some attempts to block them
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Many Ontario residents discovered just before 5 a.m. Tuesday that an Amber Alert overrides the silence and sleep modes on their cellphones.
Many people phoned 911 to complain after the Amber Alert woke them with a loud alarm.
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“Please only call 911 in an emergencies,” tweeted Mayor John Tory. “Being woken by an Amber Alert is not an emergency.”
Amber Alerts are sent to all smart phones in the province when police issue a request for a missing child they believe to be in danger, typically after a kidnapping has taken place. In Tuesday’s case — a three-year-old boy from Sudbury went missing in an alleged abduction –the child in question was found safe.
Tuesday’s mass emergency notification was sent out after
The emergency alert system network is called Alert Ready, which also sends out mass emergency notifications for other dangers like natural disasters.
Telecommunication company websites — like Bell — explain that depending on the type of device, some smart phones will still make noise even when on silent or sleep mode. The “alert tone” can “override user settings” in some cases, reads the Bell web page explaining the alert system.
A turned off phone or one that is only using WiFi should allow people to sleep without interruption.
Ken McBey, a York University professor who specializes in social and behaviour during emergencies, told The Canadian Press those who light up 911 to complain about the alerts are being “incredibly selfish.”
“It’s just one of those trade-offs: It’s a matter of balancing off individual interests for what’s best for society,” McBey said. “Part of this is actually shaping perceptions. To a certain degree, emergency authorities have a sales job to do. They haven’t done it as well as they could have.”
Amanda Pick, CEO of Missing Children Society of Canada, told The Candian Press,that the alerty system is working.
“It’s finding children, it’s keeping them safe,” she added. “That should be our answer every day: We will stand together to receive that information and protect children.”
A CRTC spokesman said the regulatory body is not responsible for the alerts. But the commission is in discussions with Alert Ready about public’s concerns to encourage changes to improve the system.
–With files from The Canadian Press
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