U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detain a suspect as they conduct a targeted enforcement operation in Los Angeles, California, U.S. on February 7, 2017.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Una nueva aplicación para teléfonos inteligentes ya está disponible en español y para toda una nueva audiencia: inmigrantes indocumentados que pueden necesitar ayuda antes, durante y después de una incursión de ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

La aplicación gratuita, llamada Cell 411 es una aplicación de teléfono disponible para Android e iOS; permite a los usuarios organizarse en “celdas” o grupos regionales que son descentralizados y gestionados por los propios usuarios. Esto permite a los usuarios que están en peligro alertar a otros miembros de su celda de la naturaleza de su problema y la ubicación exacta donde necesitan ayuda. Al enviar una alerta, las coordenadas GPS del usuario se transmiten a sus amigos de confianza con la dirección paso a paso la dirección a su ubicación. Esto permite en esencia a la colaboración abierta en emergencias sin la participación de la policía, que a menudo no son de confianza de las comunidades de inmigrantes y minorías.

El startup, Cell 411 Inc. fue fundada por Virgil Vaduva, que es un inmigrante mismo, después de ser arrestado durante una protesta de brutalidad contra la policía, después de lo cual no tenía medios para alertar a su familia y amigos de lo sucedido y su paradero. La aplicación se construyó como un medio descentralizado de ayudar a las comunidades y barrios a organizarse para ofrecerse mutuamente ayuda mutua en caso de emergencias sin pedir ayuda del gobierno, la policía y otras agencias estatales.

La aplicación permite a los usuarios enviar alertas de emergencia sobre problemas médicos, abuso policial, problemas con vehículos, crimen y otras cuestiones; las alertas se etiquetan con coordenadas GPS exactas y los amigos pueden obtener instrucciones paso a paso a la ubicación de los usuarios, si deciden venir y ofrecer ayuda. Los usuarios pueden transmitir vídeo en directo a sus celdas y el video no puede ser borrado por un usuario malintencionado que puede tener acceso a su teléfono. El video también puede ser transmitido en vivo a YouTube y Facebook y se distribuye al instante a todos los amigos, por lo que es prácticamente imposible de ser destruido o borrado a través de la censura.

El año pasado la compañía introdujo un botón de pánico bluetooth, que se puede usar en una muñeca, llavero o un broche para cinturón y permite a los usuarios enviar nuestra alerta de emergencia mucho más rápido, sin tener que desbloquear o tocar su teléfono inteligente.

La aplicación Cell 411 puede ser descargada de http://getcell411.com/download o desde la Google Store o la App Store.

El breve video a continuación describe cómo funciona Cell 411 y cómo puede ayudar a las comunidades a participar en actividades de ayuda mutua (en inglés).

Otro video didáctico también incluye detalles sobre cómo funciona la aplicación (en inglés).

A small startup that has been around for less than a year has created a free mobile app aimed at helping Americans and people all over the world resist the police state.  The app, called Cell 411 (or Cell 112 in Europe), is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Romanian, and it helps activists and people from all political shades resist government abuse with decentralized GPS-based alerts and live video features. Whether you are a gun-rights activist, an anti-Trump protester, concerned with police brutality or simply a muslim woman concerned for her safety, this app can help you build decentralized groups, or “cells” of trusted connections which you can then use to dispatch when you need help.

Because this app has been so revolutionary in its approach to building a new way to handle emergencies and the police state, it has been selected by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London to be featured in the “Future of Design” exhibit in 2018.

Think of this app as an “UBER for emergencies” or a “911 on steroids” except it doesn’t involve government, police or people  you don’t trust.  The app was created by a small group of passionate engineers, activists and people concerned with the growth of police state all over the world.  It can be used by anyone with an Android or iOS smartphone and it has tens of thousands of users all over the world.

Here is how it works: users can freely download the app and signup for an account using their e-mail address of Facebook account. Once signed up, a user can join existing public “cells” or groups in their areas, or can create their own cells.  Joining a cell allows you to send and receive emergency alerts from the members of that cell.  Let’s say you want to create a cell in your town called, “Denver Mutual Aid.”  Al users in the Denver area will be notified when this cell was created and can join the cell in order to offer each other help when the members request the help.  There are thousands of cells all over the world used by users for many reasons, such as immigration help, neighborhood watching, etc.

You can also create private cells which are only visible to you an not other users, and you can add your friends to your private cells.

The app allows you to send emergency alerts about medical problems, police abuse, vehicle problems, crime, and other issues; the alerts are tagged with your exact GPS coordinates and your friends can get turn-by-turn directions to your location, should they decide to come and offer you help.  You can stream live video to your cells and friends, and the video cannot be erased by a malicious user who may gain access to your phone.  The video can also be streamed to YouTube and Facebook and is distributed instantly to all your friends, making it nearly impossible to be destroyed.

The app was specifically designed to be resistant to censorship and government surveillance and has been used successfully all over the world to save lives and keep users safe from criminals, police abuse and many other malicious actors.

The company also created a “panic button” which is a bluetooth device that pairs with the mobile app and allows users to issue alerts instantly without having to unlock the phone or spend precious time navigating an app. Recently a “ride sharing” feature was also added to the app to allow users to offer rides to each other when they need help and accept payments for cash, Bitcoin, silver and even bartering.

You can download Cell 411 for Android and Apple devices from http://getcell411.com/download

You can also watch a quick walk-trough of the main features of this app below:

Einer unserer Benutzer beschrieb sie als „ein revolutionäres Hilfsmittel für Änderungen in unserer Gesellschaft.“ Ein anderer nannte sie „krass“ und der frühere, ausgezeichnete Kommissar Barry Cooper von NeverGetBusted.com nannte sie „der neue Notruf, aber sicherer.“  Andere Benutzer beschrieben sie als „geradewegs aus einer Cyberpunk-Geschichte“ und ein Benutzer sagte: „Ich würde sie definitiv eher benutzen, als die Polizei zu rufen!“  Die Ehrungen kommen weiter herein die Einwohner lieben sie überall:

„Das ist genau das, worauf ich gewartet habe.“

„Das ist eine tolle App für Menschen, die in Gebieten leben, in denen die Einwohner und die Polizei nicht gut zusammenarbeiten.“

„Das ist wie UBER für den Notruf!“

„Der Notruf gehört bald der Vergangenheit an …“

Diese neue Mobile-App hat die Welt des Aktivismus im Sturm erobert und die Polizisten hassen sie. Sie heißt Cell 411 und ist eine App, die von Aktivisten für Aktivisten erstellt wurde, aber auch für jeden, der sich in einem Notfall befindet und lieber eine Gruppe vertrauter Freunde als die Polizei rufen möchte.

Die App, die sowohl für Android als auch iOS erhältlich ist, erlaubt es den Benutzern, verschiedene Alarme an vertraute Gruppen aus Familienmitgliedern, Nachbarn und Freunden zu senden. Das Problem der Behandlung von Notfällen ohne Polizeibeteiligung ist in der Debatte über Polizeibrutalität in den Vordergrund getreten, da viele Fälle zeigten, dass die Polizei, die auf Notrufe reagierte, Hunde erschoss, selbstmordgefährdete Personen tötete und oft nicht denjenigen half, die um Hilfe riefen, sondern eher jene verletzt oder sogar tötete.

Die Smartphone-App wird es Ihnen erlauben, private oder öffentliche Gruppen in Ihrem geografischen Gebiet zu erstellen, und sie als Methode zu benutzen, um im Notfall Hilfe zu rufen. Sie können Ihre Freunde benachrichtigen, wenn Sie einen platten Reifen haben, angehalten werden oder ein medizinisches Problem haben, oder wenn die Polizei Sie belästigt. Sie können sogar Live-Video an alle Ihre Freunde streamen und die Möglichkeit vermeiden, dass das Video von der Polizei gelöscht oder Beweise von böswilligen Einzelpersonen vernichtet werden..

Sobald Sie Hilfe anfordern, werden Ihre Freunde Ihre GPS-Koordinaten und eine Schritt-für-Schritt-Wegbeschreibung zu Ihrem Standort erhalten. Sie werden über die voraussichtliche Ankunftszeit und wie weit Ihre Freunde entfernt sind informiert.

Es ist sogar ein „Patrouillenmodus“ verfügbar, der es Ihnen sogar erlaubt, sogenannte „weltweite Alarme“ zu versenden. Das bedeutet, dass jeder, der die App in Ihrem Gebiet benutzt, Benachrichtigungen erhalten wird und zu Hilfe kommen kann, wenn er sich an diesem Tag als guter Samariter fühlt.

Das Beste an dieser App ist, dass sie komplett kostenlos ist und die Option, dem Benutzer die Erstellung von „öffentlichen Gruppen“ zu erlauben, denen jeder beitreten kann, ist sehr leistungsfähig und bietet Gemeinschaften die Möglichkeit zur Selbstkontrolle. Hier sind einige andere Beispiele der fantastischen Möglichkeiten, die diese App bietet:

Eine Gruppe von Nachbarn einer Nachbarschaftswache könnte eine Gruppe erstellen und die App benutzen, um jeden anderen bei Notfällen zu benachrichtigen.

• Ältere Menschen könnten die App benutzen, um ihre Familienmitglieder zu benachrichtigen, wenn sie ein besonderes Bedürfnis haben.
• Aktivisten, die Polizeiaktivität oder Polizeimissbrauch beobachten, könnte alle Aktivisten in einem Gebiet benachrichtigen und Video an alle ihre Freunde streamen.
• Die Abteilung der freiwilligen Feuerwehr könnte ihre Gemeinschaft ermutigen, die App als kostenlose Option zur „Entsendung“ zu benutzen.
• Schulkinder könnten Alarme senden, wenn sie in der Schule schikaniert oder misshandelt werden.
• Familienmitglieder könnten Alarme senden, wenn Fahrzeuge eine Panne haben und sie dringend Hilfe benötigen.

Es gibt zahllose andere Möglichkeiten für diese App und die Ersteller zielen mit der App klar auf Benutzer ab, die eigenständig und bei der Reaktion auf Notfälle nicht von Regierungsdiensten und Regierungsangestellten abhängig sein möchten.

Sie können Cell 411 (Cell 112) von http://getcell411.com herunterladen.

Das kurze Video unten erklärt die grundlegenden Funktionen der App.

The world of ride-sharing startups is ripe with investment failures, technical failures and even some outright fraud, but one thing is certain: Uber is still the king of them all, controlling a vast majority of the ride-sharing market out there, with 8 million users, hundreds of thousands of drivers and about a million rides each day.

Many other Uber “clones” or competitors popped up over the years, with virtually all of them offering the same service model, where drivers go through an application process to qualify, their vehicles are inspected, a background check is performed and eventually they are allowed to use a mobile app to get customers while paying 20-30% of the amount of fares back to the company.  Customers almost always pay via a credit card and depending on the market, time of day and other factors, Uber or the other ride-sharing companies keep a good percentage of the fare cost.

Many drivers absolutely hate this model, and here is why: it’s completely centralized.  Drivers and riders have no control on any of the ride sharing aspects of the transaction.  Uber decides what rider is paired up with a driver. Uber decides the payment method, the amount and the fees associated with it.  Worse, Uber will not even allow drivers to operate if they drive older vehicles or specific makes and models.

Cell 411 Inc., a small startup focused on user safety and emergency management wants to change this.  In the latest Version 5 of their platform and mobile app, they introduced a fully decentralized ride-sharing option.  What does this mean?  Well, it means that their ride-sharing model is the exact opposite of how Uber and Uber-like companies do things.  There are no background checks, no requirements to drive certain year car or model.  There are no fees, and no centralized controls on pricing and methods of payment.  Literally, the users are in full control of all aspects of ride sharing.

Users willing to offer rides using Cell 411 even have full control on the pricing formula.  Drivers can edit their own pickup cost, per-minute and per-mile costs before providing a final cost to riders, thus employing a bid-like system where drivers compete for rides from various users, giving users options and encouraging competition.

With about 64,000 world-wide users on their platform, Cell 411’s user base is tiny in comparison to Uber, but their revolutionary, one of a kind model can become a real threat to Uber’s dominance.  With no “how do I apply to drive for you” questions to be answered, drivers are flocking to Cell 411 trying to avoid losing 20-30% of their fares to a central authority.  Not only that, but drivers are able to accept any payment method they wish.  There are payment methods like Cash, Silver, Cryptocurrency (like Bitcoin), Credit Cards and even Bartering.  Yes, with this model you can literally offer someone a ride in exchange for a burger or a joint!

With version 5 of their app just released days ago, the company is planning a launch party in Austin, TX on November 5, where they will answer any questions related to their future plans and how they are planning to integrate their safety and emergency response workflow with the new ride-sharing feature.

This fully decentralized ride sharing model has not been tested before because nobody else has tried it until now, but the company says that users from all over the world have reached out showing interest in participating and joining the platform.

“Most users send us messages asking, ‘Where do I apply to drive with you’ showing that many people still have a hard time coping with the full freedom they have on our platform,” said Virgil Vaduva, founder of Cell 411.  “When the answer is ‘just install the app,’ it is really incredible to see how users respond when they realize that they have the freedom they don’t have with Uber,” said Vaduva.

To increase user safety and maintain accountability, the app verifies users’ mobile phone numbers via a simple process and employs a user-review process which encourages good quality service.  The app also allows users to build mutual-aid networks allowing users to use their network of friends and family members to respond in case of emergencies and if dangerous situations occur.

Drivers also have the option to purchase a hardware bluetooth panic button which will alert nearby drivers when dangerous situations occur.

“Our users’ safety is obviously our top priority, but we also choose to treat all our users as responsible adults.  No, we will not give you a $500 sign-on bonus, we will not buy you car insurance, and we will not micro-manage your lives,” said Vaduva. “Many Uber drivers lose hundreds, if not thousands of dollars a month to Uber.  Why not take a small portion of that money and purchase the insurance you wish?  Why not buy a panic button for $20 and alert your mutual-aid driver network if you get a flat tire or need help?  Everything we’ve done puts our users back in control; there is a reason Uber lost $1.2 billion in the first half of 2016…they are a mammoth, central authority and they do not understand that the market wants freedom, not control,” Vaduva said.

Whether or not this decentralized ride-sharing experiment will be a success is to be seen, but it appears that this model is the future of ride sharing; Uber may have to get creative in order to compete in the marketplace and survive in the long run.

Cell 411 can be downloaded from http://getcell411.com

Zimbabwe’s army commander said on Friday that his soldiers will deal with threats from activists using social media to mobilise anti-government protests, the first time the military has commented on the demonstrations.

Lieutenant-General Valerio Sibanda, the Zimbabwe National Army Commander, said in an interview with state-owned The Herald newspaper that social media activism was cyber warfare that the army would deal with.

Neither the army, which has anchored President Robert Mugabe’s 36-year rule, nor the police force have been paid on time since June.

Zimbabwe has seen several protests in recent months with unemployment above 80 percent, dollar shortages worsening as commodity prices slumped and as the region suffers its worst drought for 25 years.

The largest anti-government protest in Zimbabwe in the last decade was organised on social media last month, when a strike by #ThisFlag movement shut down businesses.

“As an army, at our institutions of training, we are already training our officers to be able to deal with this new threat we call cyber warfare where weapons – not necessarily guns but basically information and communication technology – are being used to mobilise people to do the wrong things,” Sibanda said.

“The major task we are undertaking now is that of training and preparing the army for whatever eventuality.”

Generals in Zimbabwe’s military are veterans of the 1970s independence war, and while they publicly support Mugabe and his ZANU-PF, they have divided loyalties over who should succeed Mugabe, who is also under pressure from war veteran allies.

Zimbabwe’s army commander said on Friday that his soldiers will deal with threats from activists using social media to mobilise anti-government protests, the first time the military has commented on the demonstrations.

Lieutenant-General Valerio Sibanda, the Zimbabwe National Army Commander, said in an interview with state-owned The Herald newspaper that social media activism was cyber warfare that the army would deal with.

Neither the army, which has anchored President Robert Mugabe’s 36-year rule, nor the police force have been paid on time since June.

Zimbabwe has seen several protests in recent months with unemployment above 80 percent, dollar shortages worsening as commodity prices slumped and as the region suffers its worst drought for 25 years.

The largest anti-government protest in Zimbabwe in the last decade was organised on social media last month, when a strike by #ThisFlag movement shut down businesses.

“As an army, at our institutions of training, we are already training our officers to be able to deal with this new threat we call cyber warfare where weapons – not necessarily guns but basically information and communication technology – are being used to mobilise people to do the wrong things,” Sibanda said.

“The major task we are undertaking now is that of training and preparing the army for whatever eventuality.”

Generals in Zimbabwe’s military are veterans of the 1970s independence war, and while they publicly support Mugabe and his ZANU-PF, they have divided loyalties over who should succeed Mugabe, who is also under pressure from war veteran allies.

Update: Since the publication of this article, Facebook removed and blocked Cell 411 from allowing users to post live video to their own walls; the company is now trying to find a work around the Facebook block and still allow users to present live video streams to Facebook friends.

Startup Cell 411 Inc. (getcell411.com) has created a mobile app that makes it virtually impossible for governments, police and criminals to erase video which could serve as evidence of a crime or abuse.  The app, called Cell 411, has been around for a number of months but the newly-released version has features that are unseen in any other mobile apps used by activists, aiming to fight censorship and also criminal activity.

One recent glaring example of police censoring and blocking an abuse victim from streaming live video of police violence is the recent police shooting and death of Korryn Gaines, which was visited by a SWAT team over an unpaid traffic fine. During the standoff, the police ordered that Facebook turn off Gaines’ Facebook and Instagram accounts in an effort to prevent her from streaming live video to her friends. The police shot and killed Gaines and shot her young child who was hospitalized. Without access to social media, the victim had no opportunity to record and stream what transpired in her apartment.

Cell 411 is an emergency management platform and mobile app, which allows users to alert trusted contacts in case of an emergency. Whether it is a medical emergency, a car break-down, police interaction or government abuse, the app can alert trusted contacts in real time with the type and exact location of the emergency, allowing users to avoid interaction with police if possible and only involve individuals they trust. The app has been gaining traction in crime-ridden countries like South Africa and has been used to build neighborhood watch groups and also activist groups throughout the world.

Furthermore, Cell 411 allows users to stream live video and audio to potentially thousands or tens of thousands of users allowing them to download the video streamed by a friend to a local device.  The video can be distributed to large numbers of users in real time, making it impossible to be completely erased from any servers.  To add to this impressive list of features, the latest release will allow users to stream live video to their own Facebook wall, their own YouTube Live channel, and the Cell 411 official TV channels on Facebook and YouTube.  These features increase the distribution footprint for video streams, making it even more difficult for evidence to be removed or erased. The video is also saved on the local device in case a forensic copy needs to be recovered at a later time.

“Shortly after the shooting of Philando Castile, police officers confiscated his fiancee’s smart phone and attempted to erase the footage by accessing her Facebook account and removing the Facebook Live video she recorded,” said Virgil Vaduva, founder of Cell 411, “not to mention the recent example of Korryn Gaines who had her Facebook and Instagram accounts suspended by police shortly before police shot and killed her and shot her five year old son,” said Vaduva.

“While it is illegal to do so, there have been numerous cases of both criminals and government employees attempting to destroy recorded video evidence from devices or social media accounts or prevent users from recording and streaming video of alleged abuse. Our platform allows users to create a wide and decentralized network for distribution of video in real time to a large number of trusted users, making it very difficult if not impossible to destroy,” said Vaduva.

The Cell 411 app allows users to stream video to connected Cell 411 users, save it to the local device if the user’s device lacks an Internet connection, stream it to Facebook, YouTube and other distribution platforms the users choose to engage. The video cannot be erased from the platform once it is streamed and it can be downloaded by any of the trusted contacts chosen by the user.

While Cell 411 has received wide criticism from law enforcement, with Police One claiming that it endangers the lives of police officers, the app has also become extremely popular throughout the world and has been selected by the Victoria & Albert Museum to be featured in the Future of Design Exhibit in London in 2017. The exhibit will feature objects, ideas and designs which are likely to influence the future of mankind in a positive way.

The company denies that the app is aimed solely to law enforcement and points out how it is being widely used by neighborhood watch groups and families to keep each other safe in emergencies.

“We are simply building a platform to make the world a little bit better and safer, and encourage users to interact with each other on a voluntary basis. Good ideas don’t require force in order to be adopted, and users are voluntarily choosing our app because they want a non-violent way to solve conflict and keep each other safe,” said Vaduva.

The company has ambitious plans for growth and is planning to build a world-wide drone fleet and adding features to allow users to dispatch monitoring drones to locations where violence is likely to take place or medical response is necessary.

Users can download Cell 411 from http://getcell411.com

The European Commission is proposing the creation of a database that will hold information on those using virtual currencies and that will record data on the users’ real-world identity, along with all associated wallet addresses. This is under the guise of “fighting terrorism.”

This is the first proposal part of an action plan that the EU got rolling after the Paris November 2015 terror attacks and that it officially put forward in February 2016 and later approved at the start of July 2016.

As we wrote in our article from a few weeks back, the action plan, a reform of the Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD) so it would also include the terms “virtual currency,” was only approved by the (EU President) Juncker Commission.

New AMLD will end anonymous Bitcoin transactions in the EU

This action plan is now making its way through the rest of the EU regulatory body, with the European Commission now in charge of putting the reformed AMLD to paper. As expected, the first draft of the AMLD now includes mentions to virtual currencies.

Besides recognizing crypto-currencies as another form of money, the draft also includes a set of regulations that would provide FIUs (financial intelligence units) with the tools needed to keep track of digital currencies, in the same way they do with fiat currencies.

To combat money laundering via digital currencies, EU officials plan to create a database that links Bitcoin and other crypto-currency addresses with real-world individuals, essentially putting an end to the anonymity that accompanies such payments.

FIUs across member states will have the power to create and then manage such databases, but users will also be allowed to register on their own, as a sign of good faith. The current AMLD draft reads:

The report shall be accompanied, if necessary, by appropriate proposals, including, where appropriate, with respect to virtual currencies, empowerments to set-up and maintain a central database registering users’ identities and wallet addresses accessible to FIUs, as well as self-declaration forms for the use of virtual currency users.

As mentioned when ministers from various countries met in Brussels last year, the EU is interested in regulating Bitcoin and similar currencies so that it would be harder for terrorists and cyber-criminal groups to use the currency to hide their operations and move large sums of money across borders.

Digital currency exchanges and wallet providers operating in Europe will most likely have to abide by the reformed AMLD and force EU users to register with their real information so that FIUs could track down individuals behind suspicious operations.

Bitcoin is regularly used for ransomware payments, in human trafficking (slavery, prostitution rings), kidnappings, extortions, hacking tools, and all sorts of illegal services and products.

Initial estimations have the reformed AMLD reaching the European Parliament for a final vote later in the year.

It turns out that Cell 411 Inc., the makers behind the emergency response app Cell 411 are concerned that demonstrators at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland may be assaulted and abused by police during the convention. To the dismay of many Cleveland political activists, the Cleveland Police have taken measures to handle a massive number of arrests daily. The City has plans to process up to 1,000 arrests per day, which raised eyebrows from community activists.

Cleveland also paid ahead of time $250,000 to reserve 200 extra jail rooms in the Cuyahoga County jail, according to the Republican National Committee budget.

When asked about the preparations, Calvin Williams, the Cleveland police chief said, “We don’t want anybody to trample on anybody else’s rights,” but did not clarify if he will make use of the preparations to arrest and incarcerate such a large number of people.

Virgil Vaduva, founder of Cell 411 also expressed concern at the news of police expanding their footprint: “America has a rich history of political dissent, and the heavy police presence, surveillance cameras and free speech exclusion areas are not indicators that this tradition of freedom of speech will be respected.”

Vaduva also explained how his company is planning on protecting activists during the RNC demonstrators saying, “We have created an official RNC public cell in Cleveland that anyone can join so that activists in the area can issue real-time alerts should they experience abuse at the hands of police.  We have also upgraded our server capacity for live video streaming, so activists using Cell 411 can stream live video to the entire RNC cell to ensure police accountability and prevent police from erasing any evidence of abuse and wrongdoing.”

Cell 411 is a mobile app which was created to allow individuals to respond and issue emergencies to trusted friends, neighbors and family members without using 911 or involving police, making it an ideal app for activists, neighborhood watchers and others willing to participate in helping their communities stay safe without calling police.

The company also said that they are sponsoring the official video feeds from several independent journalist outfits like The Activist Post and Cop Block.  Live video streams from journalists will be made available around the clock via the Cell 411 RNC cell and also social media video feeds like Facebook Live and YouTube.

Note: this article will be updated with additional information as it becomes available during the next several days. To join the RNC cell, download Cell 411, tap on Explore Public Cells and search for “RNC” to join the official cell. You will receive real time alerts and video feeds.

L’application que les flics ne veulent pas que vous ayez

Un utilisateur la décrit comme « un outil révolutionnaire qui va changer notre société ». Un autre dit qu’elle est « badass » et Bary Cooper de NeverGetBusted.com qui est un ancien détective de police décoré en dit que c’est « le nouveau 911 mais en plus sûr ». Les autres utilisateurs la décrivent comme « tout droit sortie d’une fiction cyberpunk » et un autre dit « Je veux vraiment utiliser cette application avant d’appeler un policier ! » Les distinctions se font légion et la police la déteste :

« C’est ce que j’attendais depuis longtemps »

« C’est une très bonne application pour les personnes qui vivent dans des zones où les citoyens et la police ne s’entendent pas »

« C’est comme UBER pour le 911 ! »

« Bientôt, 911 appartiendra au passé… »

Cette nouvelle application mobile a pris d’assaut le monde d’activisme et les polices la détestent. Elle s’appelle Cell411 et c’est une application qui a été créé par des activistes pour des activistes, mais aussi pour n’importe qui qui se trouve en situation d’urgence et qui voudrait appeler un groupe d’amis à qui il fait confiance plutôt que la police.

L’application, qui est disponible sur les plateformes Android et IOS, permet aux utilisateurs d’émettre diverses alertes à des groupes de membre de la famille, du voisinage et d’amis en qui ils ont confiance. La question de faire face aux urgences, sans intervention de la police est venu à l’avant-garde du débat sur la brutalité policière car de nombreux cas ont montré que la police répond aux situations d’urgence avec la brutalité et tirent sur des chiens, tuent des personnes suicidaires et souvent n’aident pas ceux qui demandent de l’aide, mais les blesse et les tuent.

L’application sur smartphone vous autorisera à créer des groupes privés ou publics dans votre zone géographique et de les utiliser comme une méthode pour demander de l’aide en cas d’urgence. Vous pouvez avertir vos amis quand vous avez un pneu à plat, vous faites tirez dessus, avez un problème médical ou lorsque les policiers vous harcèlent. Vous pouvez aussi enregistrer des vidéos en direct pour vos amis et éviter la possibilité que la vidéo soit détectée par la police ou que l’évidence ne soit détruite par un individu malveillant.

Une fois que vous avez demandé de l’aide, vos amis recevront votre coordonnées GPS et les directions vers votre emplacement exacte ; vous serez avertis d’un ETA et où sont vos amis.

Il y a même un « mode patrouille » disponible qui peut même vous permettre d’envoyer ce que l’on appelle des « alertes globales » ce qui signifie que n’importe qui utilisant l’application dans votre zone recevra des notifications et sera capable de venir et de vous aider, et même se sentir comme un bon samaritain.

La meilleure chose à propos de cette application c’est qu’elle est complètement gratuite, et que l’option de permettre aux utilisateurs de créer des « groupes publics » que tout le monde peut rejoindre est très puissante et offre aux communautés l’option de faire elle aussi la police. Voici quelques exemples des fantastiques possibilités que cette application offre :

Par exemple, un groupe de surveillance de quartier de voisins pourrait créer un groupe et utiliser l’application pour avertir tous les autres en cas d’urgences.

• Les personnes âgées peuvent utiliser l’application pour avertir tous les membres de famille s’ils ont un besoin particulier.
• Les activistes qui observent l’activité de la police ou les abus de la police peuvent avertir tous les activistes dans une zone et streamer la vidéo à tous leurs amis.
• Les pompiers volontiers peuvent encourager leurs communautés à utiliser l’application comme une option « d’expédition » gratuite.
• Les écoliers peuvent envoyer des alertes s’ils sont harcelés ou victimes d’abus à l’école.
• Les membres de la famille peuvent être alertés quand les véhicules tombent en panne et ont besoin d’une urgence rapide.

Il y a d’innombrables autres possibilités pour cette application, et les créateurs visent clairement l’application des utilisateurs qui désirent être autonomes et ne pas dépendre des services gouvernementaux et des employés du gouvernement pour répondre aux urgences.

Vous pouvez télécharger Cell 411 sur http://getcell411.com.

La courte vidéo ci-dessous explique les caractéristiques basiques de l’application.

For the last several months a new smartphone app called Cell 411 has been making news and capturing the attention of various media outlets with its goal to encourage personal responsibility, create safer neighborhoods and put personal safety and responsibility into the hands of citizens. The app has become extremely popular in South Africa among citizens trying to face the extremely high murder and crime rates in the country. South Africans are using the app to alert their friends and families and create neighborhood watch groups to keep their homes and families safe and alert each other of potential criminal activity.

The app has been wildly successful, amassing over 50,000 downloads between the iOS and Android platforms in just a few months, but for some reason cops are not happy with its success, mostly due to the fact that the app has been successful among activists and “cop blockers.”

What Cell 411 does is in essence very simple: it allows users to notify their friends, family or neighbors when problems occur, should they witness crime in a certain area, get a flat tire on the highway or run into a medical emergency or another type of danger. The app will instantly send the exact GPS coordinates of the user to a large number of friends or family members, who can choose to respond to help, getting turn-by-turn directions to the location of an incident.

Furthermore, users can stream live video to allow them to keep a record of a criminal act, police interaction, or any other situation they may find themselves in.

Justin Naimoli, NYPD Officer

But for the last several weeks, this app has come under attacks from American cops and other government employees who appear to be afraid of the competition the app has to offer. It is unsure why American cops would hate the idea of citizens having the freedom to rely on each other for help, but some reviews posted in the Google Play store indicate that cops could in fact be terrified that citizens are starting to understand that after all they don’t  really need police and can easily rely on each other for help as cops often show up and escalate a situation, commit violent acts or even shoot innocent people for no apparent reason.

One review posted in the Google Play store was by New York City police officer Justin Naimoli.  Officer Naimoli was sued several years ago after he assaulted, pepper sprayed and abused a 23 year old woman named Imani Brown. Naimoli gave Cell 411 a one star review calling it a “Commie anti cop app” saying,

“Beware of this app hiding under a hidden platform of safety. But I did download so if i see an alert I can show up and help the Cops and not the person who broke the law and is now crying about the consequences.”

Office Naimoli is clearly against the idea of Americans being free to observe police, record their actions and keeping them accountable for their actions. Perhaps this is because of his own history of abuse, assault and violence against NYC citizens.

Other posts like one from a user named Forrest Hagerman claim that the app “puts people and police in danger” but does not explain how.  According to a google search, Hagerman is a former government employee from the Seattle area.

Other fake one star reviews have been posted as well, and all appear to be from either current or former police officers or other government employees.

What is most ironic about this, is that the users posting these reviews are also in fact in direct violation of the license agreement with Cell 411. The agreement expressly forbids government employees from installing the app and creating an account on the Cell 411 platform, stating:

“Governments, and agents and subcontractors of same, are not permitted to use this software or derivations of this software.”

Clearly, police officers are readily willing to violate license agreements, post fake reviews and even contact the technical support e-mail address to harass the employees of the company.

When we contacted Cell 411 for comments, Virgil Vaduva, the founder and creator of Cell 411 provided us with a screenshot showing that officer Naimoli sent several emails to the support address reserved for Cell 411 users in order to accuse the company of “lying.”

Vaduva said that it is unclear how an app that allows free human beings to network together and send notifications to each other (much like text messaging) is a danger to anyone:

“Our app is no different than Facebook or Uber: it simply allows users to network together and notify each other of emergencies. To imply that it is an anti-cop app is simply ridiculous and ignorant. Over 100,000 alerts have been sent through our platform since our app went live. Those are all calls that police did not have to deal with, in essence lightening the load of their work and eliminating minor and non threatening calls from police logs. The app is helping police already, not harming them.  Police officers should embrace this app and embrace new technology, not harass our tech support team.  Much like taxi unions are attacking Uber due to competition, it appears that now police are doing the same with us when instead they should partner up with us to make the world a better place.”

The company is planning the release of Version 3 of Cell 411 in several months, with a number of important improvements and features, including partnership with private security firms, payments options for first responders and many other features aimed at what they say “making the world a better place.”

You can download Cell 411 from http://getcell411.com