HONOLULU, Hawaii – In mid-January Hawaiian residents and visitors received a text that warned a ballistic missile was on its way, driving them into a panic as they searched for shelter and contact loved ones. Trouble was the alert was a mistake.
The warning resulted when someone pushed the wrong button on a computer screen. To make matters worse, it took more than a half hour for officials to send a follow-up message correcting the mistake, leaving millions of people fearing their lives would soon end.
How does something so crazy happen? The Federal Communications Commission, which sets the technical standards for the alert system, has already begun a full investigation into what happened. Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii praised the agency for moving quickly to investigate. But he and others have noted that this debacle is a wakeup call to examine issues the current alert system.
“This system failed miserably and we need to start over,” Schatz said on Twitter.
To help you understand how this alert system works and what the issues are, CNET has put together this FAQ.
To read it, click on https://www.cnet.com/news/what-you-need-to-know-about-emergency-cellphone-alerts/?ftag=CAD090e536&bhid=20102274281679224800074149012732
