SAIP, an acronym describing a system to alert the public with information, was released two days ahead of the Euro 2016, a European football (soccer) championship that begins June 10 and around which tremendous security preparations are taking place. The app is simple and will alert the geo-located users in case of a suspected terror attack.
Advertisement
Share with Us – We’d love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article, and smart, constructive criticism.
France is under the highest terror alert since the November attacks that killed 130 people in the Paris area, bomb and shooting attacks claimed by so-called Islamic State (IS). The app will not cause the phone to vibrate or make any noise, so as to not giveaway a persons location in the event of an attack.
French striking CGT labour Union garbage collectors block access with pile of rubbish bags to the Paris’ waste treatment center in Ivry Sur Seine, near Paris, France, Wednesday June 8, 2016.
But France has made no official comment on the arrest and anti-terrorist prosecutors have not been assigned to the case, suggesting authorities do not believe there was any imminent threat to Euro 2016.
The UK government has warned England, Wales and Northern Ireland fans going to France for the tournament there was a high threat from terrorism and that stadia, fan zones and transport hubs were potential targets.
Ukraine said the 25-year-old, identified in France as Gregoire Moutaux, was planning to attack multiple locations including mosques and synagogues before and during during the tournament.
The app sends out the alerts by using geolocation to find out where people are, but users can also add eight different address areas that they would like to be kept up with news from.
SAIP (Système d’alerte et d’information des populations) is available for Android and iOS, available for download today.
Advertisement
Advice already on the app includes general tips on what to do in other emergencies, such as a nuclear alert, including “take cover in a closed building”, “do not pick up your children from school” and “do not overcrowd telephone networks”.
