Personal Safety: There's An App For That

With the plethora of apps out there, I started wondering what kinds of apps are there for people looking to protect themselves. I found instructional apps telling how to perform various techniques, and apps that gave advice on dating. Then I found some that could be valuable.

Circle Of 6 [Free]

One of two winners of the 2011 White House and HHS "Apps Against Abuse" Technology Challenge. The app allows you to connect with your most trusted friends to help you stay close, stay safe and possibly prevent violence before it happens. The app has three buttons. "Come and Get Me" sends a message (SMS) to your circle with your GPS location in case you need your friends to find you. Option two is the "Call Me I need an Interruption" button. Use this if you need someone to give you a call. You might be on a bad date. Option three sends out a message to your circle asking them for advise on what a healthy relationship should be like. In the most critical of situations, Circle of 6 can be used to contact two pre-programmed national hotlines or a local emergency number of your choice. 

Upside

• Select up to 6 contacts
• GPS location
• Simple
• Can program one hotline/emergency number
• Pre-programmed with useful hotlines
• Free

Downside

• Messages can't be customized
• Sends messages to all contacts
• Does not contact emergency services
• Hotline numbers are for US (RAINN and Love is Respect) and India only

To find out more about the app you can check out their website, or video.

OnWatch [Free/Subscription]

The other winner of the 2011 White House and HHS "Apps Against Abuse" Technology Challenge. This app lets you transmit critical information by phone, email, text, and social media to your support network. The most basic feature of the app is quickly being able to contact your Campus Police (which you program) and your Local 911 Emergency number. Additionally there are four other features. The first is pretty simple, you can contact your friends and 911, sending your GPS to both. "Watch My Back" sets a timer (you choose how long). When the timer goes off, you need to turn it off or it will send a pre-programmed message to your friends, alerting them that something is wrong, and your GPS coordinates so they can find you. "Emergency Friends" contacts only the friends you choose to help get you out of an uncomfortable situations. The last feature is called "I'm Here." When you use this, it sends your GPS location and a message to let people know that you have arrived at where you're suppose to be. This app has a several of the same features as the first but allowing for greater customization. Downside, to get all of the features you'd have to get a subscription ($19.99/year or $1.99/month). 

Upside

• Select who is contacted 
• GPS location
• Can program a Campus PD number
• Customized messages can be sent
• Local 911 can be contacted
• Timer feature

Downside

• Need subscription to access all but emergency contacts

If you want to find out more about the app, check out their website, or video.

bSafe [Free]

Safety in numbers right? Well, with this app you setup your own "personal safety network" of friends, family, coworkers, and anyone else you choose. You'll be able to share your location with each other so friends can track you , or find you via GPS. Timer mode allows you to program an alarm that will trigger automatically if you don't check in, or let people know where you are with "I'm here." The "Fake Call" option makes your phone ring and let's you fake who is calling also. Finally, the "Guardian Alert" button notifies your network that you need help, where you are (GPS) and what's happening (video). The downside of this app, it doesn't have emergency contact capabilities. 

Upside

• Free
• Create your own network of responders 
• Select who is contacted
• GPS location
• Video Recording
• Timer Feature

Downside

• Only people that also install the app can be contacted
• Need to add 911 on your own

To find out more about the app check out their website, or video.