Opt out of FEMA presidential alerts? You can’t, and here’s why that’s legal

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been telling us for a while now that it plans to conduct a national test of the Wireless Emergency Alerts , specifically the "Presidential Alerts" that are part of the established WEA system. Despite the fact that we've been warned multiple times about the test, many cell-phone users will likely be startled today at 2:18 p.m. ET when the testing begins, as millions of cell phones will receive a text message with an ominous header reading "Presidential Alert."

Emergency alert test delayed due to Hurricane Florence

The test of the emergency alert system, scheduled to be sent by President Trump on September 20, has been delayed to October 3. The alert is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's system to warn the public in cases of emergency, such as dangerous weather, and missing children. It will be sent to the majority of cell phones in the US with the header "Presidential Alert" and the message, "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System.

‘Presidential Alert’: FEMA to test emergency alert system next week

You'll soon be getting a message on your phone from the President of the United States - whether you are a supporter or not. It's not a political message, but an emergency test message sent from President Donald Trump as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's system to warn the public in cases of national emergencies.

APNewsBreak: Verizon to end some sale of phone-location data

Verizon is pledging to stop selling data through intermediaries that pinpoints the location of mobile phones to outside companies, the Associated Press has learned. It is the first major U.S. wireless carrier to step back from a business practice that has drawn criticism for endangering privacy.

China’s Huawei says it hasn’t collected Facebook user data

Chinese mobile phone maker Huawei said Wednesday it has never collected or stored Facebook user data, after the social media giant acknowledged it shared such data with Huawei and other manufacturers. Huawei, a company flagged by U.S. intelligence officials as a national security threat, was the latest device maker at the center of a fresh wave of allegations over Facebook's handling of private data.

Trump Is Doing Same Thing He Demanded Clinton Be Locked Up For

President Donald Trump talks on the phone aboard Air Force One during a flight to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 26, 2017. While serving as secretary of State, Hillary Clinton disregarded an instruction from the Foreign Affairs Manual directing her to use State Department equipment for day-to-day operations.

President Trump Puts ‘America First’ On Hold To Save Chinese Jobs

A sign for the ZTE booth is seen at the Mobile World Congress, the world's largest mobile phone trade show in Barcelona, Spain, in 2014. In a surprising departure from his "America First" agenda, President Trump says he will help a China-based cell-phone manufacturer save jobs after the Commerce Department said it sold U.S. technology to Iran and North Korea and then failed to live up to the terms of a settlement.

Hawaii’s False Alarm Exposes U.S. Civil Defense Gaps

Three days after Hawaii's false ballistic-missile alert triggered panic across the islands, causing people to run for cover and family members to issue tearful goodbyes, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK texted out a news alert instructing citizens to seek shelter from an incoming North Korean attack. It too was false.

Hawaii rattled after alert of incoming missile is mistakenly sent

A screen shot take by Hawaiian citizen Alison Teal shows the screen of her mobile phone with an alert text message sent to all Hawaiian citizens on January 13, 2018. / AFP / Alison TEAL Honolulu, An alert warning of an incoming ballistic missile aimed at Hawaii was sent in error Saturday, sowing panic and confusion across the US state -- which is already on edge over the risk of attack -- before officials dubbed it a "false alarm."

Firm denies Flynn texted its director on US sanctions

A whistleblower has told House Democrats that during President Donald Trump's inauguration speech, Flynn texte... . Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, leaves a secure area at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017.

In The Devastating Aftermath of Hurricane Irma, The U.S.Virgin Islands Doesn’t Want To Be Forgotten

Amid widespread devastation leftover from Hurricane Irma , the U.S. Virgin Islands feels left out of mainstream media coverage despite being the hardest hit by the Category 5 storm. Over the last week, affected Caribbean Islands remain without electricity, cell phone service and basic necessities like food and water.

Tech companies urge Supreme Court to protect cell phone privacy – CNET

More than a dozen prominent tech companies are urging the US Supreme Court to make it harder for law enforcement officials to obtain individuals' sensitive cell phone data. The companies filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the Supreme Court on Monday, arguing that law enforcement officials should be required to obtain a warrant before accessing data on a cell phone customer's location.The 44-page brief, signed by Apple, Facebook, Google and Verizon, among several others, said greater privacy protections are needed as companies increasingly collect user data over digital technologies.

Federal Appeals Court Affirms TCPA Consent Cannot Be Revoked if Granted By Contract

Last week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in Reyes v. Lincoln Automotive Financial Services that a consumer does not have the right to revoke consent to autodialed and/or prerecorded calls to his a mobile device where consent was part of a bargained-for agreement between the consumer and the caller.

Supreme Court agrees to decide major privacy case on cellphone data

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a major case on privacy rights in the digital age that will determine whether police officers need warrants to access past cellphone location information kept by wireless carriers. People speaks on their cell phones near a blocked off area after a speeding vehicle struck pedestrians in in Times Square in New York City, U.S., May 18, 2017.