Personal safety app

A personal safety app or SOS app is a mobile application which can be used to aid personal safety. Such apps received increased prominence in the media after the 2012 Delhi gang rape case^[1] and consequent protests against "brutal rapes, molestation and mistreatment of women".^[2]

Features

The apps include various features, including sending text messages, e-mails, IMs, or even Tweets^[3] to close friends (containing approximate location,^[1] audio snippets and pictures^[3]) or emitting a loud intermittent "shrill whistle" in the manner of a rape alarm.^[1] Additional features include geofencing and preventive alerts.^[3] Some apps allow to customize the alert message sent and the ringtone that signals the reception of a new alert.

They normally include different triggering mechanisms to cope with different emergency situations.^[3] Common triggering mechanisms include pressing and holding the phone's switch button for a few seconds, shaking the phone vigorously, tapping on an alert button, and even loud screaming sound which the app can detect.^[4] When the alert signal is triggered, these apps automatically go to work, sending text messages and emails with exact location of the user to emergency contacts listed on the app.

Feature comparison between some personal safety apps

Features	Musketeer	Daak	LifeLine Response Personal Edition	Guardian Safety App	Citizen COP	VithU	bSafe - Personal Safety Alarm	React Mobile - Personal Safety App	SahAya - Emergency Alert	EmergenSee Personal Safety App
Free for all
SOS
Video or Call recording, activation with SOS
SafeZone
Police Phone Directory
Emergency Help (Police, Ambulance, ATM)
Police Notifications
Stolen Vehicle Check
Traffic Forecast
Towed Vehicle Information
Location based crime reporting
Share your Location
Close Group Location Tracking
Integrated Social Media
Collects Evidence

Reception

Clinical research associate^[1] at BGS Global Hospital, Denet Pradeep, was of the opinion in early 2013 that such apps are ineffective without modification.^[1]

One Indian media professional noted the vague location information and the sometimes convoluted functionality, saying "You'd rather run away than [scroll to and] activate [the app]."^[1] She suggested that developers incorporate functionality which doesn't rely on the internet, because of the poor 3G connectivity in India in 2012.^[1]

Keshet Bachan, gender equality activist and blogger at Girls Report questioned in 2012 the effectiveness of such apps in preventing violence against women.^[5]

List of personal safety apps

Key: A(ndroid) B(lackBerry) i(OS) N(okia) S(ymbian) W(indows) W(eb)

Title	Platform
	A	B	i	N	S	W	W
Bachao[6]	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
bSafe[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][4]
Cab4me[8][9][12][14]
CircleOf6[8][9][11][14][15][16][17][18][4]
Citizen COP[19][20]
Daak[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]
Delhi Helpline[14]
EmergenSee[29]
EyeWatch[11][14][16]
FightBack[7][8][9][10][11][14][15][17][30]
Guardly[8][9][11][14][16][31][32][4]
React Mobile[33]
Hollaback![8][9][10][11][14][34]
I Am Safe[14]
ICE Mumbai Police[7]
iStaySafe
Kitestring[35][4]
Life 360[7][8][9][15][17][36]
LifeLine Response[37]
LifePlug[38]
me Against Rape[10]
Musketeer - Help anywhere, anytime[39]
MyWitness[40]
OnWatch[8][9][32]
SahAya - Emergency Alert App
Safe[15]
SafeCity.IN[10]
PerSOS[3][41]
Scream Alarm[14]
Sentinel[6][8][9][14][36]
ShakeSOS[13]
SOS - Stay Safe![42][43][44]
SOS Whistle[7][10][11][13][15]
StaySafe Personal[45]
StreetSafe[8][9][18]
YWCA Alert[7][17]

References