France Launches Terror Alert App for Euro 2016 Football Tournament

The French government has released a mobile app to alert the public in the even of a terrorist attack. The app was released ahead of the Euro 2016 football tournament, which began on 10 June.

According to a statement released by the French interior ministry, the app will alert geo-located users “in case of a suspected attack.” Users will be able to sign up to receive alerts in up to eight different “geographical zones” in addition to their present location. Alerts will offer a brief description of what has happened as well as advice on how to stay safe. They will not cause the phone to vibrate or emit any sound in order to ensure that anyone hiding at the site of an attack does not alert the attackers. Officials have disclosed that later versions of the app will also alert users to other types of emergencies beyond attacks, including floods and industrial accidents. The government has disclosed that the app was developed in the wake of the November 2015 attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people.

The release of the app comes just days after the British Foreign Office warned that stadiums, fan zones and transport hubs were possible targets for attack during the football tournament.