Politico | Lawsuit seeks to block Donald Trump from sending ‘presidential alerts’ to phones
Lawsuit argues system would allow Trump or others to disseminate propaganda
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Josh Gerstein on politico.com on October 1, 2018.
Three New Yorkers are suing in federal court to try to halt a test scheduled for Wednesday of a system that allows US President Donald Trump or any future president to send alert messages to the mobile phones of all Americans.
The activists filed the suit last week in US District Court in Manhattan, arguing that the system violates their free speech rights and constitutes an unconstitutional seizure of their electronic devices.
The first-ever national test of the “presidential alert” system for mobile phones and similar devices was originally planned for September 20, but it was delayed due to the onslaught from Hurricane Florence.
Wireless phone users have the ability to opt out of most alerts sent under the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
While some users can choose not to receive regional messages and so-called Amber Alerts regarding missing or endangered children, under federal rules, receipt of the top-level “presidential alerts” is mandatory.