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from the If-you-are-reading-this-message... dept.
Natalie Matthews writes that a year ago, a friend of hers left her two roommates at a bar to walk the three blocks home to their apartment in a yuppie Boston neighborhood. "She wanted decent sleep before a Saturday morning exercise class; her friends wanted late night food. Instead, she was jumped by a stranger on the curb of her apartment building, brutally raped, and beaten in her living room while her roommates ate burritos, none the wiser," writes Matthews. " If she'd done something, anything, differently, would it have changed the outcome of her night? It's an unproductive exercise, both she and I know. And yet when I heard about Kitestring, she was the first thought that flashed in my mind, because maybe Kitestring would have helped her, had it existed then."
Kitestring is a new service that aims to make sure people get from point A to point B safely, notifying their emergency contacts if they don't. You tell Kitestring that you're in a dangerous place or situation, and give it a time frame of when to check in on you. If you don't reply back when it checks your status, it'll alert your emergency contacts with a custom message you set up. "Perfect for blind or online meet-up dates, walking home at night, or feeling safe in any dangerous situation, Kitestring is like the virtual mom I've always needed," writes Mary Rockcastle, "especially if your mom is like mine and is never awake past 8:30pm."
(Score: 4, Insightful) by DIMT on Monday April 28 2014, @09:24AM
I very much doubt any of your emergency contacts will actually pay attention whenever you have forgotten to disable the panic mode for the fourth time in a month. Even if they do pay attention it won't make a difference if there is an actual threat toward you, you can be raped, beaten, and murdered before the police arrive, assuming the perpetrator is at all efficient with their time, even if someone was to call the police immediately in most areas. This kind of product will just perpetuate the idea that rapists are in every alley just waiting for somebody to walk by while simultaneously giving a false sense of security to those who actually may need to watch their step.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by jimshatt on Monday April 28 2014, @09:59AM
I don't think it does. It works against all kinds of rapists and other threats. But you do raise some valid points. False alarms are probably a problem, and will make people numb (just like Amber Alert and every software alert you have to click on 20 times a day). And even if it works and your friends respond fast, it would probably still be too late in many cases.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by bradley13 on Monday April 28 2014, @10:44AM
I think it will depend on the person. If someone uses it responsibly, and avoids false alarms, it could be a good thing in certain circumstances. I don't think any reasonable person would switch this on for a 3-block walk home, but if you're off on a blind date, or doing something else unusual.
That said, the old saying about the police will apply here as well: "When seconds count, help is only minutes away". This may help reduce risk in certain situations, but nothing can eliminate it (and we wouldn't want to live in such a world either).
Everyone is somebody else's weirdo.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Angry Jesus on Monday April 28 2014, @11:33AM
> This kind of product will just perpetuate the idea that rapists are in every alley just waiting for somebody to walk by
Not necessarily. If it kept stats and reminded the user of how many times they used it and had no problems it could have the reverse effect. People don't remember situations that go off without any problems, so a way to remind them just how safe there life is could go a long ways towards changing the perception of danger around very corner.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by VLM on Monday April 28 2014, @12:02PM
"I very much doubt any of your emergency contacts will actually pay attention whenever you have forgotten to disable the panic mode for the fourth time in a month."
I can think of two "off label" uses for the app that would be vaguely useful for my family.
One is my mom can use it on a semi-regular basis and if she falls and breaks her hip, then we can get in touch. And it appears the absolute worst case failure mode is (oh noes!) you call your mom and nothing is wrong. Not exactly the end of the world, assuming your relationship is alright.
The second use is my incredibly reckless tendency to occasionally use (real) power tools alone. So in 20 minutes I've either chainsawed that tree stump or I've removed my leg accidentally. I wouldn't fire this app up every time I pick up a screwdriver, only a few times a year when I do something stupid (like the above, or climb antenna tower to do a minor adjustment while alone, etc) The net effect of the app is I'd probably be more likely to do something stupid while alone thus death or injury is more likely, which is probably not what the app maker intended.