Perspective: Phone alertsBritain Plans Mass Mobile Phone Alerts to Protect Public from Terrorism, Major Floods and Nuclear Attack

Published 9 September 2019

Britain is planning to introduce US-style mass mobile phone alerts to protect the public against terrorism, major floods and nuclear attack. Supporters of so-called ‘cell broadcasting’ claim the message alerts could have saved lives during major incidents including the London Bridge terrorist attack and Grenfell Tower fire. Senior figures have raised concerns, however, that the messages could be hijacked by hackers or malicious foreign powers to induce mass panic.

Britain is planning to introduce US-style mass mobile phone alerts to protect the public against terrorism, major floods and nuclear attack.

A major new early warning system for deadly threats will be trialed for the first time later this year.

Bill Gardner writers in the Telegraph that the technology allows thousands of messages to be sent to every mobile phone in areas deemed at risk. If the pilot project is successful, officials want to roll out the system across the country.

Supporters of so-called ‘cell broadcasting’ claim the message alerts could have saved lives during major incidents including the London Bridge terrorist attack and Grenfell Tower fire. Senior figures have raised concerns, however, that the messages could be hijacked by hackers or malicious foreign powers to induce mass panic.

Cell broadcasting allows messages to be sent to all mobile phones within a distinct geographical area, and in theory could be used to alert every smartphone user in the country.

The approach is already used widely in other countries including the United States and India. In January 2018, an incoming missile alert plunged residents of Hawaii into panic before it was declared a false alarm. Later it emerged that a junior worker had accidentally pressed the wrong button.

Gardner notes that a mass warning system using SMS technology was trialled in 2013 but returned “disappointing” results, according to government analysis. Since then homeowners in flood risk areas can sign up to receive weather warnings if they provide phone numbers. The new system would automatically send alerts to every smartphone regardless of whether the user had opted in.