A few months after the tragic December 2012 Nirbhaya incident in Delhi that shocked the nation, a small team of seven people brainstormed in their office in the national capital. They were developing an Android app that would make people feel safer. Pukar, the free Android app, is an initiative…
In preparation for the seminar on civilian investigations February 10th, I had an interesting interview with Eliot Higgins. It is time to share more about his initiative Bellingcaton this blog, and Elliot tells us about what he does, thinks and dreams. Bellingcat is a prototype example of the…
The south of France had to deal with a series of crimes committed by offenders who dress up as a clown. In Montpellier there was a 35-year-old man in the night beaten with an iron bar thirty times. In other villages in the same region three drivers were attacked by “clowns”. A clown also turned…
Hong-Eng Koh is Global Lead for the Justice and Public Safety, Oracle Corporation. He is leading a global team of experts in Justice & Public Safety, which focuses on various information systems such as police intelligence, prosecution, justice administration and public safety. Through research…
In times of disaster or crisis, people turn to Facebook to check on loved ones and get updates. It is in these moments that communication is most critical both for people in the affected areas and for their friends and families anxious for news. Facebook wants to provide a helpful tool that…
The makers of a new app hope it will help some kids block out the dark side of social media, cyber bullying. “Help stop cyber bullying, spammers, haters and more,” says the narrator of a promotional video for the new app called Censorgram. The makers of Censorgram said they want to completely…
FireChatis a proprietary mobile app, developed by Open Garden, which uses wireless mesh networking to enable smartphones to connect via BlueTooth, Wi-Fi, or Apple’s Multipeer Connectivity peer-to-peer without an internet connection. The app was first introduced in March 2014 (iTunes, Android).…
We have shared stories of phone hunts before, but this case as described on Storify is also a nice example of citizen sleuthing: [<a href=”//storify.com/thenextweb/iphonerescue-the-complete-saga” target=”_blank”>View the story “#iPhoneRescue: The Epic (True) Lost iPhone Story” on Storify</a>]…
Emergency Smartphone live Stream project 999eye is being developed by West Midlands Fire Service. 999Eye has a number of UK services signed up to join us in a UK pilot currently aiming at Jan 2015. They have demonstrated the first release of the software (recently on the CCRSummit 2014 in The…
Another one bites the dust – though in the positive sense of the word. Socially innovative initiatives such as crowdfunding platforms are popping up like mushrooms, but the legal realms have been largely left untouched. Until now. Ronald Lenz, a THNK Class 3 participant, together with fellow…
Xpire is a free iPhone app that lets you schedule self-destructing tweets as well as Facebook and Tumblr posts. After all, a tweet along the lines of “I’m at the mall, what’s poppin’?” does not need to live on for future generations. Or even the next day. After launching Xpire for the first time…
Police officer gets a twerking on at Notting Hill Carnival http://t.co/k81MQL3t2n pic.twitter.com/RtJoMG4oET – HuffPostUK Pictures (@HuffPostUKPics) August 25, 2014 This picture from #NottingHillCarnival is just begging to be a caption comp! via @cocobuttergirl1 pic.twitter.com/farhEaozBA – TCS…
The next crime-fighting tool may be sitting in your pocket: UbnAppd (iTunes, Android). Capitol Hill residents concerned with local crime issues gathered this past Monday at Grim’s Provisions & Spirits for a public meeting. LGBTQ advocacy group Social Outreach Seattle (SOSea) and private company…
Tech-savvy students from Huddersfield have joined forces with West Yorkshire Police and the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner to design a new app which aims to keep fellow students safe as they start the new academic year: “Appy Student” (iTunes and Android) Under the unique venture, students…
In case of emergency this App immediately and silently alerts your personal network when you need it most. There are times when you need instant assistance from family, friends, neighbours or colleagues. Whether you notice something suspicious nearby, you need urgent medical attention or in case…
Introducing the Daniel Morcombe Foundation ‘Help Me’ App (iOS, Android). A great way to not only help keep kids safe, but assist people of all ages, from 7 to 97, covering all kinds of personal emergency situations! The ‘Help Me’ button sounds a warning and allows you to can send off an SMS text…
As we have seen, the violent crackdown on independent journalism in Ferguson is a sign of a worsening situation in much of America. More than ever, each citizen needs to become a member of the media and record everything that they see during encounters with the police.A new smartphone app called…
Niamh Pusey, aged 15 jaar, is enthousiastic about the game A new mobile game that helps young people stay safe online has been given the “thumbs-up” by youngsters in Burton. The “Kash Dash” app, which has been designed by the Office of Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, features…
The sharing economy is a really exciting concept. The idea has been around for a decade now and popularised by internet startups like the accommodation sharing platform AirBnb and carpooling service by Uber. In South Africa, in the true spirit of Ubuntu, Springleap is a good example, enabling…
A new crime reporting smartphone app has become an addictive new habit for concerned citizens of Montevideo, Uruguay. But the crowdsourced data produced by CityCop might be creating more problems than it really solves. CityCop was downloaded more than 25,000 times in just the first few weeks…
The police in Los Angeles announced to keep a close watch on the HiddenCash initiatives on social media. The modern treasure hunters climb trees and buildings looking for an envelope with money. Hundreds of people gathered when three people had found an envelope. The finders often communicate…
Bellingcatis an online platform for citizen investigative journalism. Eliot Higgins, known online as Brown Moses, became a frequently consulted weapons expert in the Syrian conflict in just two years and without specialist knowledge, just sitting behind his computer in Leicester. As a result of…
When do online music or lyrics become a criminal threat? The Internet is rife with violent talk from blogs to YouTube channels dedicated to dark and twisted fantasies. But when should threats be taken seriously? The Supreme Court of the United StatesMondaydecided to tackle that question with a…
LEEDIR, the Large Emergency Event Digital Information Repository, is a mobile app and web application that allows photo sharing and video sharing and enables citizens to submit pictures and videos directly to law enforcementand relief agencies during major occurrences including natural…
Zicom Electronic Security System Ltd has launched a women safety app Ziman for women due to immense increment in the crimes against women when a number of preventives has been taken and seem to be ineffective. The app uniquely provides 24X7 responsive services to the victims in danger by…
The rave party in Mecosta County shows that, even years later, there are still stubborn copycats based on the film Project X (Part 2 of the film is not released yet). Several Facebook groups based on the original “Project P” (ProjectP) are indeed trending on Twitter and Facebook, but are not…
Patrocinium Systems has just announced the launch of ArcAngel, a mobile app and clouding system that aims to bridge the gap between civilians and first responders in the event of a threat or emergency. ArcAngelis a two-way communication system that uses GPS, data and sensor technology to allow…
Dog the Bounty Hunter (Duane Chapman, 61), heeft social media ontdekt tijdens de jacht op War Machine (Jon Koppenhaver), een vechtsporter in de MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). En dat na 30 jaar werkervaring. De kranten koppen met titels als: “Dog the Bounty Hunter” unleashes the digital dogs:…
An American man Pedro Bravo supposedly asked Siri through voice control where he could dump the body, after just committing a murder. That was the storyline in most media as new evidence was presented in the case against the man. Pedro Bravo is on trial for the murder of an American student who…
Organizer Chokri Mahassineof Pukkelpop calls on all party flockers of 2014 to install the free app ‘I am OK’. This app allows you to inform your family, friends or loved ones and let them know you’re OK if you get into an incident or even a disaster. The app was launched three years ago, after…
Alert Cops allows you to send messages with your GPS location to emergency centres of the National Police and the Guardia Civil. It is also allows for digital interaction (called citizen-chat), which is especially useful for the hearing impaired. At this time, “Alert Cops” is only available in…
Canadian police are determined to cut down on sexting among teenagers. This week, Ontario Provincial Police launched the “Send This Instead” app (iOS en Android), for free. The app, according to Yahoo News, offers 57 “humorous and sarcastic retorts,” which serve as alternatives to things like…
12 hours of total lawlessness to keep crime figures low in the rest of the year. That’s what the The Purge (purification) allows you to do. Almost everything goes, from murder, theft and rape, and without persecution. This phenomenon was put down in a movie last year and part two of the movie is…
After memes such as neknominaties‘, checknominating and ‘wet suit” a new nomination meme has come to town. Hundreds of young people set themselves on fire and put the images onto social media, in the game of gaining fame. Playing with fire, literally and figuratively. The #FireChallenge already…
A group of university computer geeks has created a mobile interactive mapping system to spring protesters out of police kettles. Only two months old, the Sukey.org idea faced and passed its first big test Jan. 29 of 2011, during student demonstrations around England, says spokesman Tim Hardy.…
The unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, is posing some new questions about law enforcement and the militarization of the police.” Three teenagers from Georgia have decided to take the issue into their own hands. Caleb Christian, 14, and his two sisters – Ima, 16, and Asha, 15 and a little help from…
The crimemap above displays a 90-day period of crime, as reported by the citizens of Guatemala (Alertos.org) In the past three months there have been 356 murders in Guatemala, 202 armed attacks, 44 drug deals, 11 kidnappings and six cases of “extortion via a mobile phone”. Guatemala is trying…
A new generation and new communication tools. Also the Italian Mafia is using them. Where the old ‘Dons’ only used Pizzini’s, encrypted notes, the new generation of Mafia members make full use of social media. They have Facebook pages, use likes to express their interests, boast about their…
Last year, in the space of an hour, a paranoid schizophrenic in Manchester raped three sex workers and sexually assaulted another, before bragging to a friend that he’d had “the best night of his life.” The case was splashed across the tabloids but for many sex workers, violence isn’t…
With the Yazula app (iOS, Android, Windows) on your phone you will receive custom defined information automatically. How does Yazula work – The Yazula messages wait for you until you enter a geographic area. The moment your enter that region the information relevant to you is triggered and you…
#Facebook is not a Law Enforcement issue, please don’t call us about it being down, we don’t know when FB will be back up! – Sgt. Brink (@LASDBrink) August 1, 2014 When Facebook was down in the USA, many people called 911. In New York, Los Angeles and other places Facebook was temporarily down…
In this blog we talk about how the influence or threat to court witnesses and / or informants can be gamechanging. We haven’t seen much of these cases yet, but maybe this happens more than we know. In Philadelphia, the police pulled a 17 year old student Nasheen Anderson of Martin Luther King…
Become one of Sherlock’s trusted Lieutenants by joining The Network and immersing yourself in the world of Sherlock Holmes. Building on the success of the iOS app Sherlock: The Network which achieved number 1 entertainment app in 37 countries was originally launched on 20th January as a premium…
Criminals also like to create Selfies. Take this intruder for example, who made a Selfie when he stole some food. Also stealing a phone and then taking a Selfie is not very smart. Or check out these 9 other criminal Selfies. Earlier, we saw people taking Selfies during suicides of others, but…
During a recent asbestos incident in a large municipality in the Netherlands, both the municipality and the housing corporation in question communicated with the residents. They forgot to harmonise their messages with each other. The result: residents who didn’t know what to do. That led to…
Social media developments are moving so rapidly that public safety and security is being transformed permanently. These information channels and communications platforms have become indispensable and have a huge impact on organisations, work processes and employees. “It is essential that this is…
VizSAFEis a social media platform that empowers ordinary citizens to play an active role in the well being of their communities by posting and sharing photos or videos from their smartphones. Today, with close to 2 billion smartphones in use worldwide, people are capturing compelling and…
The topic Big Data is ‘hot’. Big Data can be used to make information more transparent and usable, to support decision making, and product and service innovations. In addition, we currently find ourselves in the middle of a process in which a new balance is sought between a government that…
“During a research project for one of our clients, we logged onto Habbo-hotel. To our amazement we were approached quickly and various times with sexually-loaded comments that left little to the imagination. It is shocking. And disturbing. Particularly as this social platform focuses on…
The Welsh Police will receive a ‘whopping’ 837,000 pounds to build an app that will support eye witness reports. The money comes from the British governmental innovation fund. Remarkably, the app will only support uploading audio and video at a crime scene for cops and not for citizens to use.…
Women and girls in Nainital, India, will now be able to alert the police and family members, in times of distress, thanks to a new app called SOS Shouryaa launched by finance minister Indira Hriydesh on Independence Day at the Nainital police office. The app, launched on the android platform,…
It’s not like you can ask your attacker to hold on a minute while you let someone know that you’re in danger. Watch Over Me (iOS, Android) turns your device into emergency tool with just a shake. Even if your phone is locked, with one shake we turn on your phone’s alarm, and video camera, and…
A new, free crowdsourcing mobile app, Spottm, which will let victims of crime request help from members of the community around them, will be introduced by a new South African start-up early next year. The app lets people alert police or family members during an emergency situation, and report…
The Paradise Valley Police Department is expected to provideParadise Valley Town Council an overview of how Smart911works and how it can be a new tool likely to significantly improve police response times. Smart911 lets you fill out personal information on a secure website and if you ever need…
Imagine being in a dangerous situation, perhaps even the victim of a kidnapping, and having the ability to let your friends and family know that you are in trouble and where you are – even if you are on the move. Silent Bodyguard for iPhone and BlackBerry devices sends a silent SOS with the…
Install and configure this app on your phone and, if you are ever in trouble (feeling threatened, under attack, having a medical emergency, or any similar situation), simply shake your phone. That’s it! The app will periodically contact your emergency contacts and let them know you may be in…
SelfieCop is an app that automatically forwards photos taken on a child or teen’s phone to his or her parents. The aim is to make young people think more carefully about what they are snapping and sharing. TL;DR: it’s to prevent underage sexts. The app simply needs to be downloaded to a child’s…
Mental health among Britain’s youth is shockingly concerning. Suicide is the leading cause of death in men under the age of 35 in the UK, while it is estimated that 9.6% of young people aged 5-16 have a clinically recognised mental health condition. Anything that helps to better this situation is…
Draw up a crime scene? These and other activities can benefit greatly from having a floor plan, but who’s got time to draw one? You do. RoomScan for iOS creates floor plans just by tapping your phone or tablet against each wall. It’s not accurate down to the millimeter, but it does work — and…
RedPanicButton (iOS, Android) is offering accurate information to those who can help you, the Red Panic Button is basically a user centered Early Warning & Vulnerability Alert System (EWVAS), a one-to-many mode of communication, a uniquely developed mobile phone application that provides users…
Red Alert: Israel is a free app for both iOS andAndroid that provides real-time alerts when missiles or rockets are fired into Israel. It’s also become a specialized kind of social network. With the app, launched for iOS on June 29, Americans and people of other nations can follow the fighting…
PublicEye is an app that runs on every major smartphone and tablet. PublicEye provides collaboration, situational awareness, data fusion and many operational tools. Features include mapped objects such as 911 calls, real-time alerts, video surveillance and streaming, digital radio,…
One in five students gets harrassed or sexually assaulted. Each one is one too many states OnWatchOnCampus (iOS, Android) which is designed to keep you safe by giving you the tools to plan and inform your friends, Campus Police or local 911 should you need help. Choosing the individuals that you…
“Feeling unsettled? In an unsafe area? Simply launch the MyForce application and we’re with you.” – states the website of MyForce. When an alert is sent, MyForce’s 24/7 safety agents act instantly, pinpointing your exact location and tracking your whereabouts. There’s no need to tell where you…
Street harassment is one of the most pervasive forms of gender-based violence and one of the least legislated against. Comments from “You’d look good on me” to groping, flashing and assault are a daily, global reality for women and LGBTQ individuals. Butit is rarely reported, and it’s culturally…
Whether you’re traveling overseas on business, working remotely, in a parking garage with poor cellular coverage or sitting at your desk, Guardly Mobile (iOS, Android) alerts and connects you with your organization’s security operations instantly. Guardly administrators within your organization…
What is the speed limit on Spanish motorways? Do I need to wear a helmet when I cycle in Sweden? The free European Road Safety App Going Abroad (iOS, Android, Windows) contains all important road safety rules and some fun games. Download it before going abroad and save on roaming charges.…
Have you ever wanted to be a police sketch artist? Well, now you can use the flashface app (Android app or web app) and create sketches of criminals or yourself and your friends. It provides a large number of each facial components including eyes, nose, mouth, hair, head, eyebrows, glasses,…
Circle of 6 is a free app to connect with your friends to stay close, stay safe and prevent violence before it happens. The Circle of 6 app for iPhone and Android makes it quick and easy to reach the 6 friends you choose. Need help getting home? Need an interruption? Two touches lets your…
BART is launching a simple-to-use app available for iOS and Android devices that will allow riders to easily report crimes, suspicious items or activities on the BART system. Riders have been asking for a safe, silent and discreet way to communicate with BART when they are on a train or in a…
The MobilePatrol app approaches one millionth download (Apple iOS, Android) MobilePatrol was released as the first national public safety app to deliver important public safety information like emergency alerts, most wanted, sex offenders and recently incarcerated offenders from thousands of law…
Before the creation of this app, the makers of Peacekeeper saw two big problems with security in the United States. 1) Security – police, firefighters, ambulances – is bureaucratic, slow, and ineffective. The average wait time for an emergency is just over 10 minutes; but that number goes up fast…
Call Recorder Record your phone calls. Keep in mind that if you’re in a location that’snot considered a one-party consent state you’ll want to inform the caller of the recording. Free app Download:“AndroidiPhone:“iPhone GotYa! GotYa! takes a silent snapshot through the front facing camera of the…
Bebo was a social networking website launched in 2005. Bebo now calls itself “a company that dreams up ideas for fun social apps” and Joe Mbu, the man behind the Bebo relaunch, has confirmed that the site will not be returning as a social network but as a company that makes social apps. As of…
National coronation day Netherlands The 30APPril app wasn’t able to count the crowds (buzz meter)during the crownation of the new King, because telecom providers were afraid the app would overload their wireless systems. But the police did launch the 30APPrilapp for all festival venues during…
A new mobile app can get anyone with a smartphone involved in the search for a hit-and-run driver. The app was created as a part of the Medina Alert system, which was named after Jose Medina, a man who died in a hit-and-run accident on Lincoln Street in Denver. The system has already proven to…
Audioboo (now renamed to Audioboom) is a website and downloadable mobile application which allows users to record and share sound. Users of this application are restricted to recording three minutes of sound, unlike other applications which allow more recording time. This app may be used to…
Badoo is a place to meet new people in your area and around the world. It’s packed with users who want to chat, maybe even meet up, and share experiences, interests and friendship, share photos, maybe even date. You can also tell people about your interests and who you are, and play games that…
On this day, 1st of july in 1980, a famous trench coat-wearing character burst onto the scene promising to teach us all how to Take a Bite Out of Crime. Today McGruff the Crime Dog is helping to bite crime through a new social media app. The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), home to the…
On 24 April 2014, five smart sensor concepts aimed at reducing domestic burglaries were presented to police chief Frans Heeres, High Impact Crime portfolio holder. The concepts are based on existing technology, but what makes them new is the fact that they combine technological and social…
Activists can now alert for help Political activists living under oppressive regimes, and journalists reporting from the front line, are among those who fear being kidnapped and tortured. And while little can be done to abolish this threat entirely, a new app has been launched that turns an…
Last week Sogetit held their 20th anniversary for the VINT symposium where innovative topics have been discussed on stage for two centuries by now. Do follow their blog to get free updates on the latest innovative ICT developments. Below is a report from Jaap Bloem about this symposium which was…
In the Dutch City of Haarlem schools want to get rid of what they call a cyberbullying app:“Gossup. Students are bullied anonymously and even teachers are targeted. And GossUp is not the only app. Apps such as Secret, Whisper, Wut and YikYak are known for cyberbullying. But anonymous bullying…
Former police officer designs new mobile phone app that could save lives in emergencies: Criminal profiler Steve van Aperen, 50, has invented a new program to alert parents and friends with the touch of a button if a user is in danger or having a medical emergency. More than 600 people have…
Dallas Police Department Rolls Out Aggressive Social Media Strategy Plans call for more use of social media to build relationships & increase community cooperation & trust By: Lauri Stevens As one of the 10 largest police departments in the country, the Dallas Police Department (DPD) was keenly…
Social media today are the most popular means to share photos, videos, stories, thoughts and everything that engages us in sharing with other people. Whether we know them or not. But all of this information could be used for other purposes too. If you were to work in the advertising business all…
The Canadian teenager Amanda Todd committed suicide in 2012 after posting a YouTube video detailing the harassment and bullying. The video was viewed over 17 million times since then: This week an arrest has been made in the Netherlands in the case of Amanda Todd who was blackmailed to expose…
Tinder was founded in 2012 and was first used at universities. In 2013 it won the Best Startup TechCrunch award and it has since gone viral. Tinder is a location based dating service (they call it “social discovery”) that connects people with similar interests and nearby locations. It uses…
A 14-year-old Dutch girl who tweeted a terror threat to American Airlines as a “joke” has reportedly been arrested by police in Rotterdam. A Twitter user calling herself Sarah with the handle @QueenDemetriax_ tweeted: American Airlines responded swiftly from their official Twitter account and…
Social media activity The map below shows the Twitter traffic with 200 posts tagged with a location out of a set of 500,000 with hashtag #BostonMarathon from the tragic day of the attack (an explosion of tweets in one day!) Made by a student at Syracuse University. But Todd Mostak of MIT has…
Tag -You’re It (Apple, Android) is a safe alternative to Snapchat. They don’t disappear and it offers recipients the directions to your current location. You just send where you are and what you are doing to whomever you want so they can come meet you. Tag – You’re Itwas created by Pinchit,…
Kitestring is a “safecall service” that checks up on users when they are in a potentially uncomfortable situation (i.e. walking at night, on a blind date, etc.). Users tell kitestring where they are going and the expected duration of the trip. When the time amount the user has given Kitestring…
September is National Campus Safety Awareness Month, and as concern for safety on campus increases, colleges are turning to new applications, programs and other methods to protect students. Rave Guardian (iTunes, Android) partners with universities to provide the free app, which is offered to…
Citizens who play for local policeman? That is not the goal of Private Cop solution. With this app, which in 2013 was developed by a cop and an entrepreneur from Twente, residents do have a digital policing notebook in their hands. This enables them to inform their environment about suspicious…
One Love My Plan (iTunes, Android) was created by Mongoose Projects, and is tailored to identifying and tracking relationship and intimate partner violence. The app is designed for college-age women and their friends to relay personal accounts of partner violence. The app provides users with…
Policing in Kenia When four machete-wielding thieves invaded a home in Lanet Umoja, Kenya, they were met by an army of crime-fighters – citizen crime-fighters, that is. Chief of Police Francis Kariuki had at his disposal one of the most powerful communication tools known to man. He had Twitter.…
The old Wanted posters from the Wild West that had to be distributed with the stagecoach are now still used, but on a modern and digital bulletin board on the Internet. But being creative also helps. In 1984 the National Child Safety Council launched the first National Missing Children Milk…
If in social venues something goes wrong you have for example the barman in a pub whom you can talk to, at larger venues, there are porters, but most social media services have entire departments. But they service the whole world. Facebook has, for some time now, a Safety Center that is intended…
Internet vigilante group Letzgo Hunting has been criticised for some of its efforts to expose paedophiles. What is this group and who’s behind it? Letzgo Hunting’s website currently just displays a sign saying “maintenance mode” with no details of this mysterious group’s activities. But on a…
Someone is murdered in Washington, DC every couple of days. If it’s someone famous (or rich), that news makes a splash. It’ll be on television and in the paper, paraded across websites and memorialized by the powerful. If the person isn’t famous, the news will be almost nowhere. In fact, it…
Foursquare was launched in 2009 with a limited availability in the United States. In 2010, Foursquare changed this policy and the network was opened to users worldwide. In March 2010 Foursquare knew 500,000 users worldwide. Foursquare is a web and mobile application that allows registered users…
Image: citizens work together with the police (the slide is entitled: “A 1000 eyes”) There are a growing number of WhatsApp vigilante groups that try to build a safer neighborhood ona local scale (part of the groups are also active on Twitter). WhatsApp enables users to exchange messages for…
Chatroulette is not yet as dangerous as the Russian roulette, simply because a webcam can’t spit bullets, but it is definitely not without risks. Chatroulette is a website that brings people together for random conversations via the webcam. Visitors usually start with a chat with any stranger…
Sending photos via Snap Chat can be dangerous. And with the launch of the app Snap Save it just became a tad more dangerous to send embarrassing photos because it enables the recipients of ‘Snaps’ to keep them without notifying the sender. Snap Chat is an application to send photos and videos…
Facebook warning: burglars may be watching It seems harmless enough: announcing your holiday plans on Facebook or uploading that dinner party photo to Twitter. But according to cyber safety experts, such posts are a gift to burglars and stalkers. “Not only are you telling me where you are,…
A ladder of citizen participation Arnstein, S.R. (1969). A ladder of citizen participation. In: JAIP jrg. 35, nr. 4, pp. 216-224. Arnstein ladder of citizen participation from socialmediadna Citizen police (Nyenrode Now publication) Nyenrode NOW (2007). “Citizen Police”. Tijdschrift nr 3. pp…
A weblog, or blog for short “as SocialMediaDNA is a website that is updated regularly. Most of the time a blog is about stories that appear in reverse chronological order (newest on top, oldest at the bottom). The author(s), also called bloggers, provide a log of information they want to share…
4chan is a very popular internet forum with more than 1 billion messages and about 7 million visitors a day. 4chan was founded on October 1 2003 by the then 15-year-old Christopher Poole, known as “moot”. 4chan is mainly about posting and commenting on images. Users can produce completely…
Involving citizens in crime investigaions pays off. A good example of this was the assault case late januari 2013 in Eindhoven, known as the “head kickers”. This mistreatment led to a fierce debate about the use of civilians in criminal investigations. The police are increasingly involving…
This is an app by the New York Civil Liberties Union, aiming to document the stop-and-frisk practices carried out by the NYPD. As per the Fourth Amendment, cops can stop and search those they suspect of carrying out a crime. If the police suspect you are armed, dangerous, or are carrying drugs,…
KickOn is an app (iOS) to find parties near you and request an invite to join the party. Empower your social life and discover private, exclusive parties and events around you. Sydney investment banker and tech entrepreneur Charles Stewart launched KickOn, a new app they’re calling “Tinder for…
Virginia Tech Police say a new public safety app LiveSafe (iTunes, Android) is producing results after just three months of use. Italready has more than 1,700 subscribers. If the Live-Safe app would have been available on the Virginia Tech campus on April 16, 2007 (see our blog about the…
Turn your iPhone into a dash cam to record your beautiful drives, trips to the race track or just our everyday commute. CarCam records high quality video with additional information like: Speed in mph, km/h or knots maximum Speed Distance Acceleration, Braking and steering forces Maximum Forces…
As part of its initiative to become a citizen-friendly and responsive force, Hyderabad Police on Wednesday launched a mobile phone application to empower members of the public, improve their security and reach out to them at the time of distress. The app, `Hawk Eye’, seeks to turn common people…
So you rang in the New Year by drinking more than you had planned. Now it’s last call and you have to get home. There’s an app that can help you do that, one that safety officials hope will deter people from driving drunk by letting them easily summon a cab or call a friend to drive them home.…
Available on AndroidandiPhone Like iCarBlackBox, Witness Driving uses a video-recording function from the phone, accelerometer and GPS capability to capture accident data. The app’s main menu includes a large video-recording icon along with three smaller ones for managing recorded videos, a deep…
VithU, is an emergency App in India that, at the click of the power button of your smartphone 2 times consecutively begins sending out alert messages every 2 minutes to your contacts that you feed into the app as the designated receivers or guardians. The message says “I am in danger. I need…
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police launched an SOS application “One-Click” (iOS) which aims to notify the police of possible emergency situations in schools in Peshawar. The app is being developed in the aftermath of the attack on Army Public School Peshawar on December 16 which led to the loss…
GroupMe is a mobile group messaging app owned by Microsoft. It was launched in May 2010 by the private company GroupMe. In August 2011, GroupMe delivered over 100 million messages each month andy June 2012, that number had jumped to 550 million. GroupMe has a web client as well as mobile apps…
Named ‘Himmat’ it is an initiative by Delhi Police for women safety in New Delhi. The application was launched specifically for women travelling alone late at night. Women can use its features to alert Delhi police in case of any threat. The Himmat app can be downloaded free of cost from the…
An app from Microsoft India to prevent crimes against women. That will enable people to summon help within minutes and create effective deterrents against such crimes. Guardian has a real-time tracking and intelligent SOS alert function, a call for help and recording the evidence of attack, this…
Lookout performs its guard-dogging by sending information to its website and processing it there. While this saves on device memory and end-runs the need for most updates, it does incur minor data usage. The basic functions that the program covers are scanning programs and downloads for malware;…
The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) plans to launch a smartphone app on Jan. 1 through which a sexual abuse victim on the subway train can ask for help from subway staff, in an effort to enhance the safety of female passengers. According to SMG, the app will also enable a third person, who…
YouTube is a website where users can publish movies and in return are exclusive multiplication and copyrights cedes. The slogan of this website is YouTube Broadcast Yourself. The uploader is the film of tags that allow a non-hierarchical classification possible. In February 2005, founded by…
In the Netherlands Police uses the internal Politie+, akind of Facebook for the police. In the USA a similar service was launced recently: Blueline Connect. If it were up to founder Bill Bratton, it will be used internationally as well. First two videos about Blue Line in which the essence of…
On YouTube, everyone makes his own disaster video More and more young people create vandalism videos. Police discovered and resolved dozens of cases of vandalism with evidence from sites like YouTube. Young people on YouTube are often pushing boundaries. In Veenendaal a group of teenagers roams…
We’re all familiar with the photo “reconstructions” of offenders’ faces, created and publicised in the hope a member of the public will recognise the perpetrator and lead to a break in the case. Yet just how easy is it to recreate a stranger’s face from memory? The Open University has developed…
Accessory to a Facebook Murder? A public prosecutor asked for an open trial, because it concerns a very serious and shocking case. Winsie Hau was stabbed at the street in front of her home in Arnhem (the Netherlands). She later died from her injuries. The 15 year old boy who could have done it,…
The Self Evident app is an example of an app that shows how citizens can create their own criminal investigation file, starting at the crime scene. It enables you to record, validate and secure the evidence. Either as a witness or victim you can create photos or videos, add a sound recording of…
Police street stops and searches of Missourians have increased exponentially – especially in the context of rallies, peaceful protests, and marches against excessive force and racial profiling. Thousands of innocent people are routinely stopped, searched, harassed, bullied into compliance, and…
Chandigarh Police of India recently launched its women safety application, “Raksha” and also announced to set up an ATM-like kiosk where women will be able to lodge their complaints. It’s a machine – An Instant Complaint Lodging Internet Kiosk (IClik). Women have to register themselves with the…
LifeShel KickStarter from Covalent on Vimeo. A startup company in Pittsburgh called Lifeshel is working on technology designed to enable people facing assault or other emergencies to contact police in the smartest and fastest way possible. Their first product is a smartphone case and…
ICE has created a smartphone app designed to seek the public’s help with fugitive and unknown suspect child predators. Launched in 2013, the app shares photos and details of suspects and asks the public to reply with tips on their whereabouts. It has a list of ICE’s current top 10 most wanted…
The app that turns your phone into a CCTV camera: Manything (iOS) livefeeds your home – and it’s already caught its third criminal. A burglar alarm is a powerful deterrent, but if a criminal isn’t scared off then you need as much information as possible to help catch them. Now an app is helping…
The foundation of the national SOS ALARM Emergency Service introduced the SOS Alarm app in 2014 that is aimed at saving lives in emergencies. The alarm-app calls on emergency workers (doctors, military personnel, first aiders, emergency response) in case of an emergency if they do happen to be…
Metro Vancouver Transit Police have released OnDuty, a new smartphone app designed to allow commuters to silently report crime, track crime hotspots and check alerts and most wanted lists. On Duty app aims to fight sex assaults on transit door tvnportal The OnDuty app is available for free on…
Ping4alerts! is an alert platform and mobile app. Homeland Security, Federal & State Emergency Management Agencies (FEMA), State Police Departments and State Fire Marshals from the US use ping4alerts! ping4alerts! is a local emergency alert app for public safety. When it comes to safety in your…
Neighborhood Crime Watch lets you quickly take pictures, spot the location of suspicious activity and share the details with your neighbors and law enforcement. You can save the watch details in your “log book” where you can review, edit and share them again. It also lets you export and import…
The Community Watch system provides a medium for residents within a community or sector area to be in communication with each other, to build a database of employees, suspicious activities and to share data with each other. An employee module is often used for verification of authorized…
Crash Sensor (Android) is a mobile application that protects you while driving. Constantly, it monitors the phone acceleration sensors in order to detect the sudden deceleration produced in a crash. In case of an accident an alarm will warn you that a crash has been detected and, if you don’t…
