5 ms·

I just got an "NL Alert" about this, some kind of faux SMS sent straight to my phone. With a WhatsApp number, an alternative phone number, and a Twitter account

I just got an "NL Alert" about this, some kind of faux SMS sent straight to my phone. With a WhatsApp number, an alternative phone number, and a Twitter account. They seemed pretty well prepared. Emergency service via Twitter! Call me impressed if they can pull that off.

DonHopkins 7y ago
The third alert included the Whatsapp number and twitter address for the police. There have been three alerts in the past hour. I'm hearing other people's loud phone alarms go off outside, several minutes after mine, so they weren't all sent out at the same time.
- unilynx 7y ago
  That happens for us frequently at the bi-annual test - somehow the iPhones always pick up the cell broadcast minutes before the androids do. We figured it's just a priority order for the bomb shelters.
  - aerique 7y ago
    So in the end all that will be left of the human race will be Apple hipsters?
    - telecisco 7y ago
      Because only hipsters use iPhones? What the f are you on?
  - mapcars 7y ago
    Wait, what? Priority order on a device or the station?
dr_dshiv 7y ago
It is the same kind of format as the Amber Alert things I used to get in the states. How do they push that out? Based on location, cell tower usage, sim card?
- consp 7y ago
  Probably some form of cell, as me and my colleagues got them at the same time with different operators (different network operators, not virtual).
- bdamm 7y ago
  All of these kinds of alerts (amber, tornado, flood, fire, and presidential test) that I've received on the west coast of the USA have been based on very coarse regions e.g. entire cities, counties, or districts. Whether that is cell tower or not I can't tell, but I've always assumed it was.
- namibj 7y ago
  It's like wifi broadcasts. It transmits to all devices in cell. It might do this for many cells and many operators/physical networks at the same time.
  - fsiefken 7y ago
    I didn't get them on my cellphone which was connected through the KPN mobile network, appearently there is some provider dependency here
    - jacquesm 7y ago
      Yes, access to the base stations in the network still goes through the provider and apparently that is the layer that has problems with interfacing to the outside world. Intra KPN traffic works just fine, including SMS.
    - pbhjpbhj 7y ago
      You might not have it enabled? Do you have a recent Android/iOS device?
    - tjohns 7y ago
      Each provider uses a different cell tower (or at least their own antennas on a shared mast), with their own independent radio frequencies. "All devices in cell" is still accurate. Each cell belongs to a single provider. It's up to the network backend to make sure all providers get the emergency message at the same time to forward.
jandeboevrie 7y ago
Cell broadcast is the technical term for the alert you've got
fsiefken 7y ago
The alerts didn't come through on the KPN, affiliate and Vodafone mobile networks. I thought the Cell broadcast was independent of provider
- jacquesm 7y ago
  It is and it isn't. The provider is still in the loop for the signalling portion and that happens to be the part that does not work. So likely all these alerts will appear after the problem has been solved.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- kyshoc 7y ago
  I've gotten all three on Vodafone NL, but I'm roaming -- my home carrier is Verizon US.
jacquesm 7y ago
Those only reached a relatively small fraction of all subscribers.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
n_u_l_l 7y ago
They messed up. The WhatsApp number they included in the first NL-Alert is the phone number of the local newspaper De Telegraaf. It’s not owned by the emergency services. They just sent a new NL-Alert with the right WhatsApp number.
- rgj 7y ago
  The fact that they sent this specific number - the anonymous tip line of the largest Dutch newspaper - probably means that someone in the emergency taskforce team was actively leaking information to the press...
unilynx 7y ago
You should have gotten those NL Alerts every 6 months (well, if you're in NL) at the same time they test the "air raid" alarms. The next test should be on December 2nd, although it feels to me like it's been tested enough today..
- telecisco 7y ago
  They test the air raid alarms the first Monday of every month. I have never gotten an alert on my phone ever.

DonHopkins 7y ago

The third alert included the Whatsapp number and twitter address for the police. There have been three alerts in the past hour. I'm hearing other people's loud phone alarms go off outside, several minutes after mine, so they weren't all sent out at the same time.

unilynx 7y ago
That happens for us frequently at the bi-annual test - somehow the iPhones always pick up the cell broadcast minutes before the androids do. We figured it's just a priority order for the bomb shelters.
- aerique 7y ago
  So in the end all that will be left of the human race will be Apple hipsters?
  - telecisco 7y ago
    Because only hipsters use iPhones? What the f are you on?
- mapcars 7y ago
  Wait, what? Priority order on a device or the station?

dr_dshiv 7y ago

It is the same kind of format as the Amber Alert things I used to get in the states. How do they push that out? Based on location, cell tower usage, sim card?

consp 7y ago
Probably some form of cell, as me and my colleagues got them at the same time with different operators (different network operators, not virtual).
bdamm 7y ago
All of these kinds of alerts (amber, tornado, flood, fire, and presidential test) that I've received on the west coast of the USA have been based on very coarse regions e.g. entire cities, counties, or districts. Whether that is cell tower or not I can't tell, but I've always assumed it was.
namibj 7y ago
It's like wifi broadcasts. It transmits to all devices in cell. It might do this for many cells and many operators/physical networks at the same time.
- fsiefken 7y ago
  I didn't get them on my cellphone which was connected through the KPN mobile network, appearently there is some provider dependency here
  - jacquesm 7y ago
    Yes, access to the base stations in the network still goes through the provider and apparently that is the layer that has problems with interfacing to the outside world. Intra KPN traffic works just fine, including SMS.
  - pbhjpbhj 7y ago
    You might not have it enabled? Do you have a recent Android/iOS device?
  - tjohns 7y ago
    Each provider uses a different cell tower (or at least their own antennas on a shared mast), with their own independent radio frequencies. "All devices in cell" is still accurate. Each cell belongs to a single provider. It's up to the network backend to make sure all providers get the emergency message at the same time to forward.

jandeboevrie 7y ago

Cell broadcast is the technical term for the alert you've got

fsiefken 7y ago

The alerts didn't come through on the KPN, affiliate and Vodafone mobile networks. I thought the Cell broadcast was independent of provider

jacquesm 7y ago
It is and it isn't. The provider is still in the loop for the signalling portion and that happens to be the part that does not work. So likely all these alerts will appear after the problem has been solved.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
kyshoc 7y ago
I've gotten all three on Vodafone NL, but I'm roaming -- my home carrier is Verizon US.

jacquesm 7y ago

Those only reached a relatively small fraction of all subscribers.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

n_u_l_l 7y ago

They messed up. The WhatsApp number they included in the first NL-Alert is the phone number of the local newspaper De Telegraaf. It’s not owned by the emergency services. They just sent a new NL-Alert with the right WhatsApp number.

rgj 7y ago
The fact that they sent this specific number - the anonymous tip line of the largest Dutch newspaper - probably means that someone in the emergency taskforce team was actively leaking information to the press...

unilynx 7y ago

You should have gotten those NL Alerts every 6 months (well, if you're in NL) at the same time they test the "air raid" alarms. The next test should be on December 2nd, although it feels to me like it's been tested enough today..

telecisco 7y ago
They test the air raid alarms the first Monday of every month. I have never gotten an alert on my phone ever.