An urgent warning is being shared online ahead of a government emergency alert test message being sent widely this weekend.
Emergency Alerts have already been used successfully in a number of other countries, including the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan, where it has been widely credited with saving lives, for example, during severe weather events. In the UK, alerts could be used to tell residents of villages being encroached by wildfires, or of severe flooding, the Government has said.
But some women's groups fear the loud alarm set to sound from all UK mobile phones could alert domestic abusers to secret phones their victims may have.
READ MORE: Fresh warning ahead of emergency alert test messages this weekend
An Instagram post shared by the Women's Organisation said: "The loud alarm will sound from your phone and make it vibrate, even if it is switched to silent or notifications are off. If you're living with domestic abuse and have a mobile phone hidden in your house 'just in case' please remember to switch it off on Sunday, April 23, 2023.
Phones, it added, must be switched off completely to avoid discovery. People are being asked to share the post far and wide to help keep others safe.
The trial test message will be sent at 3pm on Sunday. It will read: "This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby. In an actual emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.
"Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information. This is a test. You do not need to take any action." In Wales, the test messages will also be sent in Welsh.
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