But Saving People’s Lives Might Negatively Affect Their Data Privacy!

Cell broadcasts and other mobile phone disaster alerts are dangerous. Whoever does the broadcast has your data. You know, like your telephone number? And they could reach you if they wanted to, which is the point. To save your life, for example. But Germans don’t want that. After they save your life what happens then? What happens to the data? Who regulates it? A complete, unauthorized stranger could save your life next and nobody wants that. No, thanks. Data privacy comes first in this country, pal.

German authorities faced pressure on Tuesday to set aside longstanding privacy concerns and send mobile phone alerts directly to people in potential disaster zones following the devastation wrought by last week’s catastrophic floods.

Warnung per “Cell Broadcast”: Viele Länder setzten auf das System, das per Mobilfunk in Sekunden fast die komplette Bevölkerung erreichen kann. Deutschland aber wählte eine andere Technologie.

What A Spooky Thought

That Berlin’s ghost airport could finally, like, actually, you know, well, open? Sends shivers down my spine.

Airport

But I don’t believe in ghost airports. That eventually open, I mean. You can’t scare me with that nonsense. So don’t even try.

After a 13-year saga punctuated by scandals, bankruptcies and comical setbacks, Berlin’s new airport could finally open in 2020 – nine years behind schedule.

An exact opening date for Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) – October 31, 2020 – was announced last week, with Dietmar Woidke, Minister President of the German state of Brandenburg.

“This time it will happen.”

Boo!