Mobile users are to get an emergency alert on Sunday April 23 (Yui Mok/PA)

Emergency alerts will not be used to collect personal data

By Will Grimond, PA
11:44 - March 24, 2023

On March 19, the UK Government announced the launch of an emergency alert system, which will send a message to most mobile phones across the country if there is a risk to life – such as flooding or wildfires.

Shortly after the announcement, posts appeared on social media claiming the alerts will be used to collect personal user data, such as location or IMEI number, which is used to identify mobile phones, and encouraging users to switch the alerts off.

Evaluation: False

The Government’s emergency alert system is one-way, and will not be used to collect personal information.

The facts

As part of the announcement, the Government explained alerts will be sent to every phone with 4G or 5G capabilities within the vicinity of a chosen cell tower. This means personal data will not be used to locate individual mobile phones.

The Government added the alerts are one-way, and will not reveal the recipient’s location or collect personal data.

The new alert will be tested across the UK on Sunday April 23. Users will hear a loud ‘siren-like’ sound for up to 10 seconds, and a message will appear on their screen until it is dismissed. Users will need to dismiss the alert in order to use their phone.

Mobile users are able to opt out of emergency alerts by searching for “emergency alerts” in their settings and turning off “severe alerts” and “extreme alerts”.

Links

The claim on Twitter (archived)

Launch of life-saving public emergency alerts on gov.uk (archived)

Additional information on emergency alerts (archived)

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