Family/Friends Alerts
In the current security situation in UK (and abroad) an indirect consequence of each attack is that millions of people call or text each other to ask if their friends or family are ok, and to reassure that they're ok themselves. Some mobile networks have proved to be vulnerable to such increased traffic. Furthermore it's a hassle calling round. The obvious solution to this increasingly frequent hour or two of anxiety is to centralise these call cascades. In outline the idea is that users create circles of friends and family online via a facility provided by ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ. Each user creates in effect an alerts account, within which is depicted the status of each of their chosen friends and family. When a security incident is signalled then the system goes live. Each user only has to txt either a predetermined ok signal, or might write a special message which could appear online too. This txt goes to the central alert centre, which updates the status of this caller in all the us! er accounts in which he/she is featured. The reassurance requirement for those who can not / don't want to get online is supplied by a programme (perhaps user defined) that first of all alerts the user themselves by txt if they have not responded within 30 mins; secondly, between hours +1-3, txts a (designated) set of users (friends and family) that X is not yet 'OK' on the system; finally, perhaps, (again user defined) hour +4, the system notifies the police incident team. The idea might, with mobile company support, be restricted to within a certain area of an incident, city-wide for example “ i.e. only users whose phones are registering on mobile systems with an affected area will go live on the alerts system. With their cooperation too all monies from txts going out on the system could be donated toward victims of such violence. ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's role would be to provide up to the minute news coverage alongside the user's alert account page showing the status of all the! ir designated friends and family. The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ could also perhaps i! nclude b rief alert summaries with the 'reminder' txts at +30mins, and +1hour. A button on all ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ webpages would appear as soon as an alert was declared. This button, and indeed the server support required, could indeed be supported by any number of large news outlets. Hope that's clear. Ideally this kind of service would not be necessary, nor would you hope it will be needed again: but... It is also appropriate to answer any kind of large scale public alert / event, and could even be adapted for public convenience at large events etc. Such a service would gain widespread subscription if it had at least the initial support of an organisation like ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ.
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