I'm unfamiliar with how Apple's relay works, but Garmin's relay (IERCC) doesn't do much screening. It wouldn't have screened out these calls, as an activation b

I'm unfamiliar with how Apple's relay works, but Garmin's relay (IERCC) doesn't do much screening. It wouldn't have screened out these calls, as an activation by someone who doesn't reply to texts is treated as a very badly injured person who isn't capable of communication, forwarded directly to the appropriate authorities, and in most cases in the US if conditions permit those authorities will dispatch a rapid response. There's a good reason for this. In TFA, for example, the authorities are merely asking Apple to properly calibrate the algorithm to skiing. They like the general concept, and have examples of it helping. One thing I find interesting is that in this kind of thread there are lots of people who don't work in backcountry search and rescue condemning this sort of technology on behalf of search and rescue. I don't have relevant experience, but plenty of people I listen to who do support this kind of technology. They want to get more help to inexperienced people faster because their top priority is helping people and not punishing potential moral failings.