Andrew Atkin:
You pull out your cellphone, click the main button four times, and the bad guys know that whatever it is they're doing, at that moment, they're effectively doing it in front of the police - and being recorded in real time, online. That's a powerful deterrent.
So how do you police people in their private homes? You can't. Not directly anyway. But we can empower people to police each other, with a cellphone app built for self defense.
Let me model the system.
You touch an icon on your cellphone three times [an app called Civil Defense New Zealand, CDNZ] and it instantly turns on your location (GPS) and web data, and both front and back cameras with sound. The instant the app is running it streams low-quality video at 5 frames per-second to a database, with the video held on your personal account.
Every second the front camera uploads a picture of the user, included with the main video. Location, date, time, who, what, is all recorded as evidence. Because the video is being streamed, even if your camera is taken from you, by force, the video stream up to that point in time will already be uploaded, used as hard evidence of an incident as required.
All of this is done with just three pushes of a single icon. No need to think in a panic situation.
There should be three other functions included with the app. Another icon inside the app, pressed once, streams the video feed to the police directly and engages you with the police (video calling). This of course would only be used for when the threat is most serious. Otherwise the app is just a function for evidence collection.
Further, there should be icons that call an ambulance and fire service with the same functionality as that for the police.
Ideally this application should be built into all cellphones and be compulsory to have. People would have a private civil defense account to hold their evidential video and photo material.
The effect of having this app.
The overwhelming effect of this app is that it will enhance deterrence. If someone holds up a phone, tells a criminal that they're being recorded with real-time streaming (they will know), then the criminal will typically be very careful with their conduct from there on in - crudely, just like holding a gun to someone's head.
The criminal will know that grabbing the phone and throwing it away won't work, and they will also know that all you have to do is touch the police icon, and a policeman could be travelling to the scene immediately. In fact, if the technology is integrated with driverless car systems, the nearest police car can be activated to the GPS-triggered location in the instant, without any human moderation at all.
Of course, with the video-stream, police could help to diffuse a situation at the moment it develops, remotely, through direct communications. Needless to say prevention is better than cleaning up a tragic mess, in any circumstance.
Put a "loaded cellphone" in everyone's hand and you've drastically expanded the police force, and for the trivial cost of the development of an app. We already have the hardware.
Domestic violence and serious child abuse.
Video material recorded from domestic violence incidents would probably be enormous in terms of quantity. The uncomfortable truth is that domestic violence and child abuse is a chronic and pervasive problem in New Zealand.
Regardless of how effective the app may prove to be as a deterrent, the police may have no choice but to limit their investigations and prosecutions to the most serious domestic abuse cases as resources will be limited. But this is a good thing. It would throw the reality of domestic violence out there for New Zealand society to see (or more specifically, to know about) at its true scale. The result may be a long overdue conversation on prevention that goes well beyond political grandstanding. But that's another story.
-Note, the app is also good for casual contracts and creating back-up evidence for all manner of things. It's extremely convenient as a general tool which should help us achieve public buy-in. People would have free access to their personal accounts for any use of this sort. However, people should not be allowed to publicly distribute personal video material without police authority or mutual agreement with the people who were recorded. Obviously there needs to be privacy controls.
Another advantage of the app--and having everyone except very young children owning a supporting account--is we can contact people instantly in case of a civil emergency, as this functionality would be integrated with the app (it would be wasteful not to do this).
In fact, we can streamline it to the point where we can give a few seconds warning in even an earthquake event, using remote sensors on various geographical sights that can then instantly trigger an alert. Only a streamlined app can do this. If your GPS function is on, it can even alert people to any given threat based on exactly where they are.
In fact, we can streamline it to the point where we can give a few seconds warning in even an earthquake event, using remote sensors on various geographical sights that can then instantly trigger an alert. Only a streamlined app can do this. If your GPS function is on, it can even alert people to any given threat based on exactly where they are.
Conclusion:
The concept is cheap. The idea should be popular, especially for women, because it's simple and effective as a self-defense tool. A cellphone is with most people nearly all of the time.
The app will not stop domestic violence altogether, but again the key value of this app is that it can function as a powerful deterrent. It could have a real impact on significantly reducing crime. Note also that young children can use it as well - it only takes a touch of an icon (+ three). We could actively train children to use the app at school.
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Post notes:
1. China is putting everyone's face scan on a national database. This is good for facial recognition so the police can quickly identify who they are dealing with in an emergency. The same goes for medical emergencies. New Zealand could consider developing a database like this as well.
2. Spotlight compression will heavily compress all video information except for the face, for efficient evidence collection and data storage. This can be easily integrated with the app. Most of the videos and photos can be recorded efficiently in black and white, as colour is irrelevant for security information.
3. The app can also be integrated with remote cameras for defense against theft. A remote camera can immediately feed to your phone, via WiFi then the internet, and then you can call the police via a theft Icon and record all information. Same seamless system.
4. Observe the included link to show how technology can further reduce all kinds of crime.
Zero Crime Cities:
5. Over time, the option of direct defense can be adapted to new cellphones.
Some cellphone lights can be almost blinding on their own, if they're close enough and powerful. A bank of 10 powerful LED lights on a cellphone, all specifically focused narrowly for the face, could easily blind a threat for 10 seconds or more. That is a long period of time to get out of harms way in an emergency. It could prove to be a very effective debilitator.
However it might be a good idea to engineer the light so that it can only be activated once the police-alert has been activated within the app, to ensure that the light is not maliciously or foolishly abused.
6. Monitoring convicts:
Another thing we can do is monitor criminals with their cellphones. For example, if a rape is reported, then a text-alert can be automatically sent to all convicted rapists in New Zealand, who can then snapshot their location as a selfie through the app. This is a great way to shrink a suspect list and protect convicts from false accusations, and create more deterrence and trust.
In fact we can use this app to systematically monitor all serious offenders, forever on.
I myself would go further to this end. I believe violent offenders should have a chip surgically implanted in their thigh, linking their cellphone to their body, to maintain a permanent streaming location record. If that sounds inhumane to you (yes, we do this with animals too) then think of how the convict might like it. It means an early release and the ability to then find gainful employment, because the app would help to do what their employer would otherwise have to do (keep a constant eye on the questionable staff member). Installing the chip is a harmless operation under a local anaesthetic.
Locking someone in a concrete box for years is incomparably more inhumane, in my view.
7. Once a video or pic is captured and uploaded, the user can give authority for the specific recorded media to be accessed by the police, via a police search. So rather than actively reporting a potential problem, the individual can simply choose to create a record, automatically accessible to the police's search function. This would be much more efficient for police, and save the user the fuss of contacting the police for a mere potential problem.
Organising a civilian army:
We can organise the app so that users can list their potential contributions for volunteer work, for an emergency situation.
Just like when you list yourself as 'donor' on your drivers licence, you could also list other things, like your skills or assets that may be available in any given class of emergency. If a disaster of sorts happens, and you are available in the area, then you may be requested to assist.
For example, if a person has a nasty accident close to where you are (GPS will tell the system) and they need immediate help, and you are listed as a nurse, then you could get an instant alert via the app requesting your assistance. (You would probably receive a government reward for your help in this example).
A more dramatic example, if the nation had a great-depression level economic collapse, and the food supply was under threat, then you might be called on to transport food in your van to where it's needed, or help out on a farm, etc. A voluntary workforce that's easily organised can get around the devastating effects of an economic/monetary collapse, where distorted price-signals can lead to an essential production collapse.
Or, if a close-by town gets flooded-out you could supply immediate relief shelter, etc.
3. The app can also be integrated with remote cameras for defense against theft. A remote camera can immediately feed to your phone, via WiFi then the internet, and then you can call the police via a theft Icon and record all information. Same seamless system.
4. Observe the included link to show how technology can further reduce all kinds of crime.
Zero Crime Cities:
5. Over time, the option of direct defense can be adapted to new cellphones.
Some cellphone lights can be almost blinding on their own, if they're close enough and powerful. A bank of 10 powerful LED lights on a cellphone, all specifically focused narrowly for the face, could easily blind a threat for 10 seconds or more. That is a long period of time to get out of harms way in an emergency. It could prove to be a very effective debilitator.
However it might be a good idea to engineer the light so that it can only be activated once the police-alert has been activated within the app, to ensure that the light is not maliciously or foolishly abused.
Another thing we can do is monitor criminals with their cellphones. For example, if a rape is reported, then a text-alert can be automatically sent to all convicted rapists in New Zealand, who can then snapshot their location as a selfie through the app. This is a great way to shrink a suspect list and protect convicts from false accusations, and create more deterrence and trust.
In fact we can use this app to systematically monitor all serious offenders, forever on.
I myself would go further to this end. I believe violent offenders should have a chip surgically implanted in their thigh, linking their cellphone to their body, to maintain a permanent streaming location record. If that sounds inhumane to you (yes, we do this with animals too) then think of how the convict might like it. It means an early release and the ability to then find gainful employment, because the app would help to do what their employer would otherwise have to do (keep a constant eye on the questionable staff member). Installing the chip is a harmless operation under a local anaesthetic.
Locking someone in a concrete box for years is incomparably more inhumane, in my view.
7. Once a video or pic is captured and uploaded, the user can give authority for the specific recorded media to be accessed by the police, via a police search. So rather than actively reporting a potential problem, the individual can simply choose to create a record, automatically accessible to the police's search function. This would be much more efficient for police, and save the user the fuss of contacting the police for a mere potential problem.
Organising a civilian army:
We can organise the app so that users can list their potential contributions for volunteer work, for an emergency situation.
Just like when you list yourself as 'donor' on your drivers licence, you could also list other things, like your skills or assets that may be available in any given class of emergency. If a disaster of sorts happens, and you are available in the area, then you may be requested to assist.
For example, if a person has a nasty accident close to where you are (GPS will tell the system) and they need immediate help, and you are listed as a nurse, then you could get an instant alert via the app requesting your assistance. (You would probably receive a government reward for your help in this example).
A more dramatic example, if the nation had a great-depression level economic collapse, and the food supply was under threat, then you might be called on to transport food in your van to where it's needed, or help out on a farm, etc. A voluntary workforce that's easily organised can get around the devastating effects of an economic/monetary collapse, where distorted price-signals can lead to an essential production collapse.
Or, if a close-by town gets flooded-out you could supply immediate relief shelter, etc.
Needless to say, it can also work to suppress and manage a pandemic.
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