"An Earthquake Early-Warning App Just Went Rogue and Terrified Tokyo"
From Atlas Obscura:
Billions of citizens worldwide rely on disaster apps, which provide
quick and concise warnings about fires, floods, and earthquakes. These programs can save lives,
warning people out of dangerous areas and helping connect communities
during frantic times. You probably have one or two running in the
background right now, just in case.
But even apps can cry wolf. Such was the case at 5 pm today in Tokyo,
when a number of residents received an alert on their phone that just
said, alarmingly, "Earthquake! Earthquake!"
"Users of the Yurekuru disaster warning app were told that a
magnitude 9.1 earthquake was about to hit the sprawling metropolis,'" Agence France-Presse reports.
Along with the cries of "earthquake," users were treated to a map of
the country, most of which was absolutely swarmed with bright pink quake
indicators. About five million people in Japan use the app....MORE
