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France launches smartphone terror alert app

The app will alert geo-located users to a suspected terrorist attack and advise on how to stay safe but will not cause the phone to vibrate or emit any sound.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

The French government has released a mobile phone app to alert the public in the event of a terrorist attack, reports BBC News.

The app is being released ahead of the Euro 2016 football tournament, which starts on Friday.

It will alert geo-located users "in case of a suspected attack", the interior ministry said in a statement.

The government said the app was developed after November's attacks in Paris. which killed 130 people.

On Tuesday, the British Foreign Office warned that stadiums, fan zones and transport hubs were possible targets for attack during the football tournament.

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, Metro News reported.

The government has stressed that users' privacy will be protected.

Read more of this report from BBC News.