New rules for quake alerts on your phone

Panama's Ministry of Government has set rules for privately run earthquake early-warning systems that send alerts to mobile phones. Executive Decree 30 of 2 November 2026 was published in the Gaceta Oficial (No. 30647-A) on Monday 2 November. It covers how those alerts may operate, what they legally mean and how users' data may be handled.

The decree does not name any company. The best-known system of this kind is Google's Android earthquake alerts, which Telemetro and EcoTV reported were enabled in Panama on 29 October.

What the decree allows

Private providers may run quake detection and alerts on compatible phones, including through automatic activation (art. 2).
An alert may be the first notice of a quake. Providers do not need an official declaration or state approval before each alert (art. 2).
The systems process signals from a quake that has already started. Delivery and warning time are not guaranteed in every case (art. 1 and 2).

What an alert is, and is not

Alerts are informative and complementary. They must identify their private technical origin (art. 2).
They are not earthquake predictions, official alert declarations or evacuation orders, and they do not replace Sinaproc, the civil protection agency (art. 1 and 2).
Sinaproc, under the Ministry of Government, keeps its powers over civil protection and official alerts, and may set up technical channels with providers (art. 4).

Your data

Data gathered for quake detection may only be used to detect and verify quakes and send alerts, with the least precise location that still works (art. 3).
It may not be used for marketing, advertising, commercial profiling or tracking individuals. Providers may not collect names or phone numbers for this function or link quake data to personal accounts (art. 3).
Automatic activation does not count as consent. Users must get clear information and easy controls to switch the function off (art. 2 and 3).
Providers must say whether the function is free or carries a charge. The decree promotes free access for users and does not change telecom tariffs (art. 5).

Who checks

ANTAI, the transparency and data-protection authority, is the only body named to supervise and sanction personal-data compliance (art. 5).
AIG, the government innovation authority, coordinates technical and security evaluations; providers must document what data they process, who receives it, transfers and retention periods (art. 5).
The University of Panama's Instituto de Geociencias joins the coordination and scientific information exchange (art. 6).

What it means for expats

Treat a phone alert as a heads-up to drop, cover and hold on, not as an official order. For evacuations and official alerts, follow Sinaproc.
You can keep alerts on without your quake data being used for advertising, under the decree. If you prefer, you can switch the function off in your phone's settings.
Not every phone will get every alert. Households with mixed phones should keep a plan that does not depend on a buzz.
If you think your data is being misused, ANTAI is the authority the decree names.

Sources

Gaceta Oficial Digital No. 30647-A - contents incl. Executive Decree 30 of 2 Nov 2026 (Ministry of Government) - 2 Nov 2026
Gaceta Oficial - Executive Decree 30 of 2 November 2026, text - 2 Nov 2026
Telemetro - Google seismic alerts now active in Panama - 30 Oct 2026
EcoTV - Google activated seismic alerts in Panama - 29 Oct 2026