Disabling Amber alerts on your phone don't make you a bad person


The use of the cell network to issue AMBER alerts, called the Wireless Emergency Alert program, has only been federal protocol since January, after Congress voted to approve cell notifications for weather alerts. But it has already caused quite a stir for its execution -- its loud droning noise blows through both the Silent and Do Not Disturb modes on phones.
I disabled this on my phone a while back when we were all awaken in the middle of the night. The Amber alert was for the other side of the state. Unsure what I'm expected to do 100 miles away at 2:30 in the morning, as we talked about on a recent Insanely Great Show.

Good intentioned, but as with any technology, implementation is key for effectiveness. I think a simple text alert would work much better. Or at least respect late night alerts when people are likely asleep. By being so intrusive, odds are I suspect people will disable it, which is unfortunate. I simply can't help anyone if I'm at home and in bed with my own family.

The weather portion of the system, however, I find more valuable as it's better targeted and is actually actionable.