This Monday, May 13, at 8 p.m., many Parisians were surprised by a notification received on their cell phones. Accompanied by a siren and a voice message attesting to an “extremely serious alert”. It was also accompanied by a text message beginning with “IMPORTANT”.
This FR-Alert was deployed by the Ministry of the Interior as part of the deployment of a platform relating to the security perimeter of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, which will take place from July 16 to 26.
Information confirmed by police headquarters the same evening. “If you were in Paris within the security perimeter that will be set up for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, you should have received an alert on your phone to inform you of the opening of the platform to obtain the QR Code to access it from July 18 to 26.”
If you were in Paris within the security perimeter that will be set up for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, you should have received an alert on your phone to inform you of the opening of the platform to obtain the QR Code to get there. access pic.twitter.com/qR8HMnsUy2
— Police Prefecture (@prefpolice) May 13, 2024
Deployed since June 2022 by the government, this alert system “allows any person with a mobile phone to be notified in real time of their presence in a danger zone in order to inform them of the behaviors to adopt to protect themselves” specifies the prefect of Savoy.
Indeed, if you are in one of the areas affected by imminent danger or a major risk (storm, fire, attack, etc.), you are likely to receive a notification with an audible signal. And this, even if your phone is in silent mode.
Many Internet users complained about the system, deeming it unsuitable and disproportionate to the situation. The terms “extremely serious” would not be appropriate for opening a platform to obtain a QR code.
This system does not only concern the Olympic Games, it can be deployed by the Minister of the Interior for all types of major events. Discover the situations concerned in our slideshow.