At the push of a button

Panic buttons are common in the world of the elderly: At the push of a button, they can alert medical services to the fact that they're unwell. The device usually comes as a pendant or a wristband to allow for a quick response in the event of an accident in their apartment, a sudden fit of dizziness or a heart attack.

Human rights organization Amnesty International has now developed a similar panic button for journalists and activists working in global hot spots. The organization has teamed up with information innovation lab (iilab) and other partners to develop a mobile app that turns a cell phone's power button into a panic button for those at risk.

In the event of an emergency - when getting arrested or kidnapped, for instance - they can quickly call out for help via their smart phones.

Silent push of a button

The app can be activated by simply pushing the mobile phone's on/off switch - it was specifically designed to allow those under threat to activate the alarm without attracting attention. After they have pressed the power button multiple times in a short period of time, the app sends a text message with the sender's GPS location to three pre-set emergency contacts.

The app can't be detected on a smart phone right away. Currently, it's only available for Android via the Google Play Store, free of charge. While the store hosts different apps with similar names, Amnesty International's panic button app was developed by iilab.

"We are currently training activists in 16 countries on how to use this tool and also to be aware of the growing threat of surveillance, so that they know what sort of risk they run when using a smart phone," said Amnesty International's Tanya O'Carroll, who was involved in the project.

Cell phones can be tracked

Despite all its benefits, the app could also pose a threat to users. Just having a phone on them could be risky.

"When I was in Syria for the first time a couple of years ago, I never even turned on my cell phone," journalist and photographer Daniel Etter said. He has traveled to crisis spots multiple times in order to report from there. "It's just too great of a danger that you'll reveal your location."

A foreign cell phone in Syria's network might have been reason enough for close monitoring or even detention.

But what's considered secure behavior widely depends on the situation on site.

"Sometimes it's useful to have the phone ready to go to be able to send out an emergency alert. Sometimes it's better to turn the phone off completely and stay off the radar," he said.

In the event of arrest or kidnapping, the person's cell phone usually gets taken right away. A regime would probably be quick to spot the app and gain valuable insight to a detained person's most important contacts.

What to do in case of emergency?

Wojtek Bogusz of human rights organization Front Line Defenders, which has been working on the app in collaboration with Amnesty International, says it's possible to enhance certain functions in the future.

"There are some ideas of removing the information from the phone when the application is triggered," he explained.

Such a mobile app only makes sense if the person's emergency contacts know exactly how to help once the alarm has been triggered. As a journalist, Etter says, you would definitely inform your editorial department.

"They then need to decide who gets involved" - whether other journalists, embassies or specialized private security firms.

Such an emergency mobile app relies on functioning mobile networks. Etter says that, in his experience, networks were still up and running even in hot spots. Most of the time though, he used a special satellite-based emergency device that doesn't depend on mobile networks and can be used world wide - that is, if you are out in the open.

"The problem, though, is that it stands out more than a phone," he said. "If you have this app on your phone and you can send an emergency signal quickly, it could indeed save lives."