FCC Votes to Improve Emergency Smartphone Alerts With Longer Character Limits, Link Support

[GeneralChang]

If you care to check the study, you'll see that "if a single child was returned" is a pretty bad way to look at it.

So "it saved the life of a child" is a bad way to look at it? I'll admit at this point, several days after the fact, I'm feeling a little too lazy to go hunt down your link. But if you want to summarize or re-link, I'll take a look at it, though I'm having a hard time seeing how this study could convince me saving a single child is a bad thing.

Unless it somehow found that Amber Alerts resulted in the deaths of two children for every one that was found, maybe? I guess that would do it.

 

[mijail]

So "it saved the life of a child" is a bad way to look at it? I'll admit at this point, several days after the fact, I'm feeling a little too lazy to go hunt down your link. But if you want to summarize or re-link, I'll take a look at it, though I'm having a hard time seeing how this study could convince me saving a single child is a bad thing.

You are lazy now, AND you were lazy at the moment. But I should compensate for your laziness, right?

I guess this fits with the security theater aspect. "Something has to be done", so just let's do the first simplistic thing we can think of. Who cares about actual consideration of it works or not, or God forbid, statistics! Why think? The important thing is that something has been done! Go team!

 

[GeneralChang]

You are lazy now, AND you were lazy at the moment. But I should compensate for your laziness, right?

I guess this fits with the security theater aspect. "Something has to be done", so just let's do the first simplistic thing we can think of. Who cares about actual consideration of it works or not, or God forbid, statistics! Why think? The important thing is that something has been done! Go team!

Okay, fine, chill, I went back a few pages and found your links. Then I read them.

And yeah, there is work to be done in improving the implementation of the system. But two things:

1) The article you linked to concerns a study involving statistics before the existence of modern smartphones, which was a while ago

2) The system has demonstrably saved at least one child. Which means I'm still totally fine with it's creation.

But thanks for your perspective.

 

[kdarling]

Yeah it's pretty retarded, and the only settings are "WAKE UP NOW NUCLEAR ATTACK" loud or OFF. Oh well, off it is...

Of course, the nuclear attack (Presidential) alerts are the only ones that we can't turn off.

And probably wouldn't want to!

Well, okay, unless you're someone who just doesn't want to know about it

Seriously though, I was half wondering the other day, that if California ever got hit by a really big earthquake, would that rate a Presidential alert? Or just something local?

 

[truthertech]

Next time you are complaining that the police are not there when you need them, check your phone - you might have some useless Amber Alert, which might explain the police being busy. But don't worry, in a while you'll get the Amber Alert cancellation.

Did you care to check the study I linked to, or are you just addicted to security theatre, damned be statistics?
[doublepost=1475525017][/doublepost]

If you care to check the study, you'll see that "if a single child was returned" is a pretty bad way to look at it.

The intent wasn't to make you feel guilty because of your attitude toward a system for locating abducted children, but I fear that is exactly what we have done, as you now seem obsessed with vilifying the Amber Alert system. Remember, it is not a perfect system, and needs to be continually improved, but all of us can take satisfaction in the 800 plus abducted children that it has helped find. You probably didn't realize this, so try not to feel so guilty.

Part of your frustration seems to be coming from not understanding how the Amber Alert system works or what it is intended to do. Your latest misunderstanding is that the Amber Alert system will prevent the police from being there when you need them. This is wrong as it isn't intended to inform the police, but rather the public. The police have other existing channels to inform each other of suspect information in abducted children cases. They are also place abducted children at the highest priority level so they are very glad to get the tips and leads from the Amber Alert system that help them find the suspects who have taken children and return the children safely to their families.

 

[nsayer]

Part of your frustration seems to be coming from not understanding how the Amber Alert system works or what it is intended to do. Your latest misunderstanding is that the Amber Alert system will prevent the police from being there when you need them. This is wrong as it isn't intended to inform the police, but rather the public. The police have other existing channels to inform each other of suspect information in abducted children cases. They are also place abducted children at the highest priority level so they are very glad to get the tips and leads from the Amber Alert system that help them find the suspects who have taken children and return the children safely to their families.

And what happens when you broadcast an alert of that sort to the general population is that the police phone lines positively light up with thousands and thousands of false leads made by mostly well meaning folks (and a few trolls and sociopaths) who got the license plate one digit off or what not. Those false leads not only make for a gigantic haystack from which the needle must be sorted, but they also get in the way of unrelated emergency calls - those of which (I believe) mijail was referring.

 

[truthertech]

And what happens when you broadcast an alert of that sort to the general population is that the police phone lines positively light up with thousands and thousands of false leads made by mostly well meaning folks (and a few trolls and sociopaths) who got the license plate one digit off or what not. Those false leads not only make for a gigantic haystack from which the needle must be sorted, but they also get in the way of unrelated emergency calls - those of which (I believe) mijail was referring.

Again, someone is giving you false info. If Amber alerts generated "thousands of false leads" as you suggest, law enforcement agencies, which are the ones who run the program and put out the alerts, obviously wouldn't use it. You should ask them, I have. You are free to disable the alerts, but your efforts to denigrate this imperfect program are way off the mark and won't detract from the immeasurable joy that many parents have felt from the safe return of their child thanks to an Amber Alert.

 

[mijail]

The intent wasn't to make you feel guilty because of your attitude toward a system for locating abducted children, but I fear that is exactly what we have done, as you now seem obsessed with vilifying the Amber Alert system.

If "obsessed with vilifying" is giving 2 links, then, yeah, I'm obsessed.
And you have pretty low threshold for obsession.

... rant ...

So. I offer a report with statistics and concrete flaws, and all you answer is about feelings. Guilt for me, satisfaction for everyone else, joy for the parents. (Oh the irony! In the report I linked, you'd see that Amber Alerts are actually most effective when the child is abducted by a parent in custody cases - that is, exactly when the child was actually not in danger. Well, no, about 25% of alerts were for children that actually didn't get abducted, so those were still in less of a risk, but let's not count those. See, I'm generous.)

At this point you're not only purposefully uninformed, but also self-righteous about it. I don't get it. Instead of spending time playing internet psychologist and assigning gilt and frustration, why don't you at least browse the cracked.com summary I gave? It's less than a page and even has jokes and pics. It's not hard reading, seriously. We're already wasting more time here than it'd take you to check it.

The summary is: you don't care about those poor, poor children and their oh so joyful parents. If you did, you'd want a solution which actually works. But no, you care about your feel-goody and being right against any odds – which is also all about feel-goody and avoiding introspection.

And since we're in different planes, we're not going to find any agreement. Well, so have a good, good day, my good-y friend! May you get an Amber Alert to keep your spirits high through the day!
[doublepost=1475575929][/doublepost]

And yeah, there is work to be done in improving the implementation of the system. But two things:

1) The article you linked to concerns a study involving statistics before the existence of modern smartphones, which was a while ago

Amber Alerts were available through SMS until 2012.

2) The system has demonstrably saved at least one child. Which means I'm still totally fine with it's creation.

If the only goal is to save "at least one child", then one can do all kind of silly things and still reach that really poor goal.

Heck, what about making every cell phone explode when it gets an Amber Alert? I'm sure some child, somewhere, will be saved by it.

The question should be rather "is this the best that can be done, considering everything"?

 

[GeneralChang]

The question should be rather "is this the best that can be done, considering everything"?

Exactly. And that's the question that leads us to the conclusion that there are things that can and should be improved. But you're not going to make me say that the system as it has been is a bad thing, because it has saved lives. I don't see where you're getting this idea that this has to be one way or the other. It's an imperfect system that can be improved that has done good and for which we can be grateful while we work to improve it. This isn't binary.

 

[truthertech]

mijail↑
The question should be rather "is this the best that can be done, considering everything"?

Exactly. And that's the question that leads us to the conclusion that there are things that can and should be improved. But you're not going to make me say that the system as it has been is a bad thing, because it has saved lives. I don't see where you're getting this idea that this has to be one way or the other. It's an imperfect system that can be improved that has done good and for which we can be grateful while we work to improve it. This isn't binary.

I'd let it go, he's obviously struggling mightily to overcome a strong sense of guilt over something, perhaps for having gotten bent out of shape over an alert that was meant to save a child.

 

[deckard666]

We hear your pain and bitterness. Whatever caused it, here's hoping you heal and please get some help as it has really taken over your life.

Just talking 'bout the facts "friend"