As we all know, phone alerts can be pretty useful. They often tell us about a crime happening, something dangerous coming our way, or even something to be on the lookout for. However, even this system can cause a bit of a headache, which is what happened to those in Los Angeles, California. Apparently, the Siler Alert system flooded everyone’s phones this weekend with a loud alert about a missing person. The issue was how loud and constant the alerts were, and to make matters worse, the link in the alert didn’t work at all.
Many locals from Los Angeles, California, posted on Reddit about the Silver Alert debacle over the weekend, which sent phone alerts to everyone about a missing person. As you can see in the above post, it was about a missing 85-year-old woman, who, thankfully, was found quickly. However, the phone alerts kept going, even after the person was found.
The cherry on top of this situation is that the link that the alert provided wasn’t working. This means that those who wanted to help locate the individual couldn’t do anything.
Among the many complaints about this situation are some that say how the system sent the alerts to people who weren’t even in the area. As you can see, the person was reported missing around Lawndale, but people from all over the city were getting this message, in places that were just too far away.
Others also say that, while it is scary to have a missing person, the system shouldn’t notify the whole city, as some people expect more “high-risk” alerts to pop up on their phones, especially ones that concern those in the vicinity. And, as we have already mentioned, the technical hiccups are another issue that locals believe authorities should fix.
California Locals Angry Over Poor Use of the Phone Alerts System
Several people complained about the system’s flaws, saying that sending an Amber or Silver alert with only a link and no other information is not the best approach.
“It’s weird that Amber Alerts get their own toggle, but Silver Alerts are lumped in with emergencies I actually need to know about like earthquakes and fires. Unless grandma is Godzilla-sized and currently tearing apart downtown, Silver Alerts should be their own category I can turn off.“
Others noted that, despite the alert having only one link, it was ironic that the link didn’t work.
“And the link didn’t work…“
“Crashed that server hard. It’s still down.“
In the end, and as many mention, they’re glad that the woman is safe. Still, they believe authorities should fix the alert and fix some of the technical issues that bombard locals whenever something like this happens.
