Have you ever been in a situation where you wondered if
something were to happen to me, how could I get help as soon as possible? Now you can have some piece of mind by
downloading one of the many personal safety apps listed below. Some of the apps
do have a monthly membership fee, which is clearly noted. However, if you are
looking for something to increase your safety posture, it may
be a wise investment to make.
Note that none of these applications are
specifically recommended by RiskPA, and are included here for informational
purposes only.
WatchOver Me (The Personal Safety App)
Protect yourself and your loved ones by turning your iPhone into a personal safety device! Whether you're going for a run, walking to your car, walking home, taking a cab, or meeting someone for the first time, all you have to do is let the app know and it'll watch over you throughout your event. If you fail to check-in safely once you're done, Watch Over Me will send an automated alert out to your emergency contacts via SMS, email, or Facebook, provide your emergency contacts with your most recent location via GPS and turn on your iPhone's camera + audio recording functions to let your loved ones know what's going on. If you need to trigger an emergency alert immediately? Just shake your phone and an alert will be sent out.
Note that video or audio taping of others without their knowledge and consent may be illegal in some states, and thus inadmissible as evidence. You should familiarize yourself with your local and state privacy laws.
OnWatch™
(The Personal Safety App for College Students)
“Winner of the Apps Against Abuse
Technology Challenge” sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. OnWatch™ gives you the tools to alert the people you trust when you
need help. Six customizable alert modes allow you the flexibility to alert your
friends, your campus police, local 911 or a combination of all three whenever
you need them and includes a timer feature if you are, for instance, going out
for a run and want to let your contacts know when you should be expected back.
This application requires an
iWitness subscription for $2.50/month.
iWitness
is designed to help protect you and those you care about by providing a virtual
witness to any situation that feels threatening. By capturing audio and video
at the outset of an incident and sending it to a secure server that can be made
available to law enforcement, iWitness functions as the ultimate deterrent to
crime. Your GPS coordinates are recorded
and transported along with the audio/video.
If
the incident escalates, touch the screen once more and the following happens 911
is called, then a text/email is sent to as many as six contacts, alerting them
of the incident and then a loud alarm is sounded by your phone.
This app is for any woman with an
iPhone. Designed for anyone who wants an easy-to-use system to alert friends
when in a threatening situation. As fully functional as those apps which require
you to subscribe to a monthly/yearly service plan, Circle of 6 has an
unobtrusive screen that's simple to operate. Two taps will send out one of
three predetermined text messages to 6 contacts of your choice including a call
for help getting home that automatically includes an address and map of your
exact location, or a request for a phone call from you to break up a tense
situation. The app also contains pre-programmed national hotline numbers and a
local number you can customize for campus security, police or 911. Circle of 6
is the winner of the Department of Health and Human Services / White House
"Apps Against Abuse" Challenge.
A personal safety alarm that sends
an emergency message to your chosen contacts with the push of a single
button. The free version allows you to
set up a safety net of "Guardians" who can respond to your SOS text
message; one Guardian you designate will receive a phone call.(Both versions
give you an unlimited number of Guardians available by text message; the
subscription version gives you up to 3 Guardians who can be called
simultaneously.) All Guardians receive a text message with a link to a map
showing your location via GPS. You can also program a Fake Incoming Call if you
are threatened, with six options for when the call should be initiated
(immediately, 5 seconds, 15 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes.) The
subscription version of bSafe gives you two additional levels of safety: a Risk
Mode with real time GPS tracking of your position, and a Timer Mode with
automatic alarm activation (e.g. if you don't log in after the programmed time
period, your Guardians will receive an alert with your entire route mapped
out.) The cost for the bSafe Premium subscription is $1.99/month or
$14.99/year.
Guardly is a personal safety service
that instantly connects you with your safety network and authorities in an
emergency. This app differs from others in that it places a phone call to your
contacts with your name, exact location, the type of emergency. There's also a
profile page where you can include personal information such as birthdate,
eye/hair color, height, weight, blood type, plus medical information including
existing conditions, allergies, medications, your doctor's name and phone
number, insurance details and policy number. The subscription service enables
responders to connect by conference call, and also texts/emails the group a
link to an emergency response site where they can exchange messages, send
photos, and locate each other on a map. The paid version also includes live
location tracking and a direct connection to 911. Guardly Premium is
$1.99/month or $19.99/year.
This application is centered on a
timer that you set when, for example, you go out for a run. If you don’t check
in safely when your timer is up, the app notifies your contacts. StaySafe sends
your GPS location via email or SMS, and you can add the details of your trip or
event so your contacts know that they’re receiving an alert because, say, you
haven’t checked in from your typical 7 p.m. jog. StaySafe also has an
Auto-Inform Service, which automatically informs your selected contacts when
you start and when you manually stop, so your contacts know when there’s a
possibility they’ll get an alert from you. In addition to Auto-Inform, StaySafe
provides its users with a two-PIN verification system: One is your safe PIN,
which you enter to cancel alarms and alerts. The other is a duress PIN, which
you can use in case someone is threatening you and making you enter a PIN to
cancel the alert.
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