Amnesty International

Amnesty international has launched an open-source 'Panic Button' app designed to help human rights activists at risk from attack, kidnap or torture.

The Android app -- which can be disguised as a calculator on the mobile phone -- can send an SMS distress signal to other activists so that they can mobilise action within the first few hours. The secret alarm is designed to protect activists who frequently put themselves at risk to help others, facing arrest, attack, kidnap or torture.


People who download the app (which needs a minimum of Android 2.3.3) can set up three pre-warned contacts to receive alerts in an emergency -- ideally people who can practically assist the individual. In advance of going somewhere where he or she might be in danger, the individual can write a message that will be triggered in an emergency. Individuals are encouraged to use code words and phrases that only his or her contacts will understand. To trigger the message, the user needs only to rapidly press the phone's power button -- five times in five seconds until they feel a vibration: this will send the pre-written message along with the sender's GPS location.

Alternatively, the user can type the number 1 repeatedly on the mock calculator.

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Amnesty's Technology and Human Rights Officer Tanya O'Carroll 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 mobilising lawyers and organisations like Amnesty International for a campaign of international pressure."

The app has been beta tested by more than 100 activists and journalists across 17 different countries. It's now available to download on Android through the Google Play store.


For people who live in countries known to practise mass telecommunications monitoring and interception (oh dear USA, UK, Australia et al!) against activists, this app may not be the best tool as it may reveal information about your location and trusted contacts that could put you all at risk.

An Amnesty International spokeswoman told Wired.co.uk that this was a major consideration when developing the app. "We are painfully aware of the insecurity of telecommunications networks around the world. The mobile networks that allow users to send an SMS are not built to protect privacy or the content of messages.

This is true for all calls and SMS communications, including SMS alerts sent by Panic Button."

This meant that the human rights organisation needed to think carefully about "security trade-offs". By consulting with a wide range of human rights activists, the resounding response was that the "possibility of having an SMS alert intercepted was a risk worth taking in exchange for the ability to get word out fast of being physically endangered".

The Panic Button has been in development for more than a year. The idea initially came about through an open design process carried out in collaboration with OpenIDEO in 2012.


Since then, it has drawn upon the skills of many designers, activists and developers using partners Frontline Defenders, iilab and the Engine Room.

Plans for further development include allowing the live transmission of a video recording and the ability to shut down an individuals' email and social media accounts so that their wider network can be protected. You can follow the project's progress here.

Updated 12.40: 23/06/2014: This article has been updated to include comment from Amnesty International.