A professor at the University of Minnesota and a small group of students may have just created the world's next great safety app. The 2017 brainchild of Dr. Muhammad Abdurrahman and a group of students, ClutchSOS helps track someone's movement if they feel they may be the victim of a crime.
"CluthSOS is a security system for you," Dr. Abdurrahaman said.
Using the app is simple and easy for those may feel they may be in an unsafe predicament. First, users should open the app and press start. Once someone presses start, the app pins your location and tracks any subsequent movements. Then, it begins recording the noise around you in the event it may be needed in court. If the user continues to feel unsafe, they can hit the "Alert Contacts" button. Hitting the "Alert Contacts" button, five people the user trusts will be notified of their location and hear the livestream of what is going on.
"They can see exactly where you are. They can hear everything that's going on. They can speak to you. They can speak to whoever is around," the professor adds.
Those who are alerted are also invited to an in-app group chat that will remind them of any allergies or prior medical conditions that may pertain to the person who is feeling unsafe. In the event the situation continues to escalate, anyone in the group chat can notify the authorities.
The app was originally designed to respond to situations involving active shooters and sexual assault. However, it can now be used in situations involving racial profiling or police violence. Furthermore, the Minnesota professor ensures that everything that is recorded belongs to the user and not ad companies or hackers.
"We've taken strong precautions to make sure this data belongs to you and is not sent out. We're not selling ads or anything like that. ClutchSOS is just an extra layer of security."
ClutchSOS has already shot out to a great start. On October 2, the app rose in to the App Store's top 20 lifestyle app list.
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