New safety app - must download

[justme]

An article popped up on my news feed on how you can now virtually have your friends or family walk you home with the Companion Safety app. It was created by university students and seems to be mainly pushed to them for right now, but no reason others can't use it.

You tell the app where you're going and then select however many people you want alerted to your journey. It then tracks you. If you fall, deviate from the path, start running, have your headphones yanked, you have 15 secs to press an I'm ok button or they'll alert not only those "walking" you home but the cops. There's also a button that calls 911 and sends your location. They also have an I'm nervous button that they use to collect data where users are most nervous and send to the schools so they can hopefully find out why those areas are making users nervous.

www.businessinsider.com/campanion-app-surging-in-popularity-2015-9

I haven't used it yet but I've sent it to all my female friends.

[Tennesseer]

Seems like a good app.

[Tiny]

You tell the app where you're going and then select however many people you want alerted to your journey. It then tracks you. If you fall, deviate from the path, start running, have your headphones yanked, you have 15 secs to press an I'm ok button or they'll alert not only those "walking" you home but the cops.

It sounds like it's got possibilities... I suspect the "calling the cops" part is gonna get disabled pretty quick. I'm just thinking the women who are coherent enough to set up their phone to do this AND who have coherent enough friends probably don't really need it.


The thing is - it seems most of the women (and occasionally men) who get in trouble seem to be pretty intoxicated AND odds are their friends were pretty intoxicated too since they let their friend head out on their own. Not sure if when they are at that point of 'stupidness' if ANY of them would be able to set up their phone to do this... much less manage to choose someone who isn't intoxicated to electronically 'walk' them home.

Drunk men get into trouble too - they just usually aren't preyed upon by other men or women... Around here, highly intoxicated guys tend to either fall into the lake or the river (and drown) or fall off a balcony or a train platform or a roof (and get killed) or manage to get themselves into some "service area" - like an electrical closet OR furnace room and die there.

[justme]

Hey, I've been amazed at what my drunk ass is able to do with my phone when I wake up the next day!

[Tiny]

"Both men and women from all demographics have emailed us saying they'd love to use the app. Lots of parents want to use the app for their children, and some people want their elderly parents to use it, too, to make sure they don't get lost."

OK, this is an interesting use as well.

[cktc]

Notifying five friends and the cops seems like a recipe for having a lot of people panic when you forget something and have to run back.

I am intrigued by the nervous button. I've definitely walked through poorly lit, or cluttered construction areas thinking someone could pop out at any moment. It would be nice to have those spots addressed.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

If you. . .deviate from the path

Oh dear  my sense of direction sucks.  I get lost all the freaking time.  On the way to a job interview I somehow managed to find myself at the airport which is downtown. I wanted to go to Millard which was on the other side of town.

I'd be pressing that "I'm OK" button a lot.  Or I'd constantly forget b/c I am too busy trying to figure out how I ended up at the airport and have to explain myself at least twice a day to first responders.

[justme]

Lol yea I wonder about how the path is decided -especially when walking.

Honestly I don't think I'd really use it except for when walking.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I get lost walking too.

When we went to the state fair the first time I went down the big slide.  My parents and DH were waiting at the bottom.  My dad nudged DH and goes "Watch this, she'll turn the exact opposite direction of where we are and get lost".  DH didn't believe him.

He was right.  Took me about 15 minutes to find them. 

If we go mushroom hunting i am not allowed to leave DH's side.  I am the type of person who would get lost and die even though the road is only a few feet away.

[NoNamePerson]

Sept 4, 2015 14:24:13 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

If you. . .deviate from the path

Oh dear  my sense of direction sucks.  I get lost all the freaking time.  On the way to a job interview I somehow managed to find myself at the airport which is downtown. I wanted to go to Millard which was on the other side of town.

I'd be pressing that "I'm OK" button a lot.  Or I'd constantly forget b/c I am too busy trying to figure out how I ended up at the airport and have to explain myself at least twice a day to first responders.

Not to worry Drama, we'll probably be bumping to each other and we can tell everyone we are really OK 

[8 Bit WWBG]

So it is mining your specific location AND your contacts.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

This all assumes that the phone stays with you (or an elderly person or a child).

I would think the first thing a mugger/attacker would do is to take/knock the phone away. If that action alerts folks, great. But, chance are the victim would be separated from the phone's location anyway.

[hoops902]

Sept 8, 2015 7:15:35 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

This all assumes that the phone stays with you (or an elderly person or a child).

I would think the first thing a mugger/attacker would do is to take/knock the phone away. If that action alerts folks, great. But, chance are the victim would be separated from the phone's location anyway.

Agree on the fact someone is going to knock the phone away...though I assume the app would read that as a "fall" and alert people. Even if they took you away, that's better than nobody knowing until the next day.