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:

We live in a world where we are forced to pay for services that are unreliable, corrupt and brutal. We are taught from a young age that you pick up the phone and dial 911 at the first sign of trouble.

But sadly, we increasingly see the responders to our pleas for help showing up and making matters worse.

I’ve been there a number of times myself. I see something bad that is  too much for me to handle. I pull out my phone to dial 911 and then stop, thinking police will just make matters worse, something we all should think about before he make that call.

I could not live with myself if I made the call for help that ended in tragedy for a loved one.

So what are we to do?

One solution is an app called CELL 411 developed by an activist developer. In this simple but powerful app, you are able to alert all of your friends in your area of a problem, giving them instant access to your location and status (ie. broken down, fight in progress, copwatching ect).  You can also watch what is happening live at your friend’s location with the live streaming feature.

Why call 911 for a problem and wait 12 to 20 minutes for a response when you can simply alert all your neighbors and get instant assistance? The app even saves the videos you stream, allowing you or any of your friends to access to download it.

So the big question is how much is it? Well the app started out at the insanely reasonable price of 99 cents, but after a few months, its creators decided it was important the app gets used by as many people as possible, so they made it free.

There are endless ways this can help you and your loved ones. No longer do you need to dial the phone dreading who will show up.

Now you can control whom you alert. You can even set the app to “patrol mode,” meaning any public alert sent out in your area will get pushed to your phone.

I try here not to sound too much like a salesman but I really do use this app all of the time. Its a way to watch your friends’ backs even if you are not there physically.

Just yesterday I even was able to find my wife’s exact location when she broke down on the highway. Knowing that she has Cell411 on her phone makes me feel so much safer.

Below are a list of resources as well as download links for Google Play and Apple as well as a YouTube video explaining more.

Cell411 webpage:  http://getcell411.com

By Severin Johnson