Homefront Command limits access to rocket alert file, after false alarms
Decision comes after command received complaints of numerous false warnings
By ANNA AHRONHEIMUpdated: JANUARY 4, 2019 00:40Palestinian members of al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, display home-made rockets during an anti-Israel military parade, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip August 21, 2016(photo credit: IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA/REUTERS)
The Home Front Command has decided to prevent access to the incoming rocket alert file on its website following complaints of numerous false alarms.According to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, the decision was made following complaints by citizens who received erroneous and false alarms by their smartphone application. Even when the applications functioned properly, there was a delay in the alerts being activated by their application’s connection method.The military stated that many private individuals and entrepreneurs were using the Home Front Command’s Red Alert smartphone app, but due to various technical malfunctions in private applications that were not under the control of the command, many individuals received false and erroneous alarms.“The Home Front Command is responsible for disseminating warnings against various threats,” read a statement by the IDF. “Spreading the warning is done through a variety of means, in order to reach as wide [an audience] as possible in a short time. One of the means used to disseminate the warning is the Home Front Command website, which enables the public to view all warnings in the country in real time, and also enables defining certain areas of interest in which to receive alerts.”The two major phone application stores, Android’s Google Play and Apple’s iPhone App Store, have numerous “Red Alert” applications, which show current updates on the rockets and allow users to choose whether to receive alerts from everywhere or from specific regions.“RedAlert,” developed by Elad Nava and listed in Hebrew on Google Play and the App Store, works in multiple languages and allows users to tap on any rocket alert to see where the location is on a map. The application also lets the user send an “I’m safe” message to contacts, which includes a link to the app.The similarly titled “Red Alert: Israel,” developed by Kobi Snir and available on both iPhone and Android, tells users that “Rockets Attack” (even in the event of a false alarm) before listing the cities where the siren went off. It also lets users comment on rocket alerts and provides a chat function.“Red Alert: Israel” also has a radio function that allows users to listen to updates on rocket sirens and other developments in Israel on various Israeli civilian stations, as well as on Army Radio.One of the notification-sound options for the app is an Israeli repeatedly announcing “tzeva adom!” (red alert) as it might sound if announced over a loudspeaker in an affected area.The military stressed that citizens should use the official Home Front Command application which provides “real-time alerts” in a reliable manner. Those who would like to have access to the alert file would need to put in a request to the command and state the reason for their request.
