A controversial new app has been released with the intention of showing its users the safest route through London to their destination, as well as being able to tell you if you live in a ‘rough’ or dangerous neighbourhood.
Featured Image VIA
RedZone – free on the iOS App Store – also enables users to ‘broadcast’ an incident by dropping pins onto an interactive map to show where it is taking place. They can then add photos and videos of the incident if they are at the scene. The idea is that this will be used to share news of crimes, road accidents, terrorism and other occurrences which might pose a risk to people planning on entering that particular neighbourhood. A great idea, right?
Image VIA
However, the app has been met with some trepidation – with some suggesting that it will lead to unfairly stigmatising certain areas of London. I can kind of see where they’re coming from. But having said that, people are going to stigmatise with or without this app. And given how useful it could prove to be; it sort of seems worth the risk.
The app’s creator Ted Farnsworth denied claims from Twitter users, who already have access to the US version of the app, that RedZone could lead to stigmatisation and refuted criticism that suggested it incites racism.
He went on to say that he plans to launch the London version within a month. RedZone has been described as a ‘virtual neighbourhood watch’ – ranking particular areas of the city as ‘safe’ or ‘risky’ based on data sourced from Met police data, news reports, social media and the crowd sourcing explained earlier. Using this data, it employs particular algorithms to create a slower but safer route to a destination via GPS which some have likened to Google Maps. RedZone then also offers the user a more ‘dangerous’ but faster route through the capital. Farnsworth went on to explain the value of his app:
Image VIA
London is our next market and we will be there in the next 30 days.
Police can use the app as another resource, another set of eyes on the streets, almost as a virtual neighbourhood watch.
If officers start to notice many pins dropped in one neighbourhood at a certain time of day, for example, it would make sense for them to patrol that area more closely.
People are still encouraged to call 999 if they witness a serious crime but when they also report it through the app, they’re able to warn others who might be nearby.
You can look on the map to see where there’s been a stabbing or fight or assault or incident or sexual harassment or robbery.
You can also put in your destination and you get two routes, a safe route and a risky route.
The safe route is usually about 12 to 15 per cent longer but it will calculate and take you around those pins, around that red zone.
The app is very similar to another which debuted in the US but was shutdown after attracting negative media coverage, with headlines such as: “Want to Avoid Black Neighbourhoods? There’s an App for That”. But Farnsworth insists his version is about keeping people safe and is based only on concrete facts:
Image VIA
In the long-term the crowdsourcing side of it will be even more critical, where people are reporting what’s going on.
It’s for the citizens to take control of their neighbourhoods and work with the police to reduce crime, it’s not racist at all.
We’re taking factual data and making you aware of your surroundings.
I guess there are pros and cons to this app. But either way it’s got to be better than this utter shitpile that Amber Rose is pushing.
