Amnesty International has launched a new 'Panic Button' app designed to give "human rights defenders urgent help [...] when facing attacking, kidnapping or torture."
The app - available for Android devices only - can be triggered in an emergency by rapidly pressing the power button on a smartphone. Once activated, it sends a pre-programmed message along with the phone's location to up to three contacts who can hopefully help the individual.
"The aim of the Panic Button is to increase protection for activists around the world who face the ever present threat of arrest, attack, kidnap and torture," said Tanya O'Carroll, Technology and Human Rights Officer for Amnesty International.
"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."
