A new Panic Button app, to give human rights defenders urgent help from their own networks while facing imminent danger, is now available for public download on Google Playstore. The "Panic Button" mobile app on Android phones transforms a user's smart phone into a secret alarm which can be activated rapidly in the event of an emergency, alerting fellow activists to the danger their colleague faces so that they can get help faster.
The Panic Button can be activated by rapidly pressing the phone's power button. Your network of contacts will receive an SMS distress signal and regular updates of your location helping them to act fast.
The new open source app is developed by Amnesty International in collaboration with iilab, activists, tech experts and volunteers from around the world.
Announcing its launch on Monday, the London-based human rights watchdog said "The aim of the Panic Button is to increase protection for activists around the world who face the ever present threat of arrest, attack, kidnap and torture."
Tanya O'Carroll, Technology and Human Rights Officer for Amnesty International, said "We have long known that the first hours after somebody's arrest are the crucial window of opportunity for a network to make a difference to their colleague's release—whether it be flooding the police station with calls, arranging a protest, or mobilizing lawyers and organizations like Amnesty International for a campaign of international pressure."
Panic Button has been made available for global download in four languages after three months of private beta testing with hundreds of users from Amnesty International's networks in more than 17 countries. During the testing phase, activists and journalists expressed that the tool can make a positive difference in mitigating the daily risk of their day-to-day work. "It is really scary to find out that an activist has been detained for months without anyone knowing anything about them or working to get them released. We hope Panic Button will ensure future cases of unlawful detention in Sudan do not go undetected allowing us to mobilize to help more people", said Ibrahim Alsafi, a human rights activist in Sudan who has been involved in the testing and training of the app.
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