Are You Safe?
Back in 2015, Facebook released a Crisis Response feature that allows its users to notify their friends whether or not they are safe in an emergency crisis. This system was applauded by many because it offers some level of communication to your loved ones if you find yourself in the middle of an unfortunate situation. Instead of having to answer each of your family members’ calls or text your friends back letting them know you’re okay, you can simply click a button via your Facebook account to notify everyone that you are safe.
This application is a great example of how technology can be used to benefit our society, especially in crises when a large number of individuals are impacted. However, the ultimate drawback of Crisis Response is the restricted range of users. Only registered users of Facebook can access this feature and notify their networks of their status. In the event of an emergency, it is imperative that every person involved is able to connect with their friends and family and notify emergency personnel if needed. So, this got me to thinking: what better way to expand on Facebook’s Crisis Response than with a ubicomp Safety Check system?
With an increase of mass-shootings, crises, and public tragedies in our society, we are becoming more aware of the dangers we may face when we leave the house. Unfortunately, we have to carry some level of concern when our loved ones do go out because of the major tragedies that have occurred previously. While this app does not in any way resolve or lighten the cause of these emergency situations, Safety Check can be a helpful way to connect people with vital resources under these circumstances.
This app is the ultimate ubicomp system because it is available on any and every device that is capable of tracking your location. This universal app is not associated with a specific company or platform, it is automatically downloaded on every device because its primary purpose is to connect you with your network and emergency services in a time of need. So, as soon as an emergency situation is reported in your area, this ubicomp system will display an alert message and ask you one simple question: are you safe? The user can then select Yes, No, or Other and include further details. This status update will then be sent to the user’s network, which should be established during the system’s set up process.
Let’s walk through an example. God forbid an earthquake occurs in your area. The Safety Check ubicomp system will immediately register that an emergency situation has been reported and it will notify all location-tracking devices in the city. Your phone, your Apple Watch, your Amazon Echo, and any other system you have around the house will display an alert message and ask: are you safe? As soon as you respond to this question on any of your devices, the message will disappear and the appropriate action will take place. If you answer Yes, your selected network of family and friends (which would have been determined during the setup process of your device) will be able to view your status. If you answer No, your network will be notified and the necessary emergency services will be prompted if you require assistance. If you select Other and describe your specific circumstances, a crisis help line will handle your request. The general idea is that, in the event of a crisis, you should not have to reach for your phone, frantically contact someone to get help, and reach out to your loved ones. With the advancement of technology, you should be able to get help and connect with your network fast, so you can focus on the situation at hand.
A noteworthy layer to the Safety Check system is the optional access to emergency personnel. You may not be safe in a particular crisis, but it is also possible that you do not want to contact certain emergency services. With the Safety Check system, you have the right to alert your network that you are unsafe without notifying emergency services if you wish. These settings can be configured during the set-up process and modified later on, but public safety officers will not be notified unless a user clearly requests their services. The purpose of this caveat is to offer users control over the response to the situation they are facing.
An additional benefit of the Safety Check system is that it offers users space during an emotionally heightened experience. In the event that you are dealing with the aftermath of an especially traumatic situation, the last thing you want to do is text or call everyone back, explain what just happened, and answer all of their questions. You might be checking into a hospital or you might be searching for your friend in a crowd, so responding to every message is not feasible. At the same time, your family and friends are concerned about your safety and feel helpless, and they deserve to know what’s going on. Safety Check offers a universal outlet for impacted people to connect with their network, and the greatest strength of this system is its ubiquity: it’s not about purchasing another device, signing up for an account, or compromising your personal data for a company’s monetary gain. The purpose is seamless and efficient safety.
One major factor to consider is who is responsible for this system. To maintain a high level of ubiquity, this application cannot be owned by a specific company. As a result, it is important to establish who is monitoring the system’s users and requests. Will this system be controlled by the government in order to manage access to emergency services? What happens if government officials are contributing to the public crisis? Should this system be some kind of non-profit, collaborative product of multiple tech companies to serve all people? Who is responsible for administrative decisions and who will be held accountable for liabilities? There are positive and negative implications of both options, so it is still unclear how we will be able to integrate this technology. Nonetheless, the need for this ubicomp system is clear, and it is essential that we make use of it to better our society.
