Are security apps a good idea?
COLUMBIA, Mo- A new cell phone app called, “Companion” is making headlines on different social media sites. It is a security app that shares a person’s location with specific contacts promoting a sense of security as a person walks home.
The app has multiple different safety features such as quickly alerting police when a person thinks they are in trouble. The app is also encouraging universities and colleges to become involved. When a school participates, campus security is alerted when the cops are called.
The app was made by four University of Michigan students who felt the need to feel safer walking around campus. It was created with college kids in mind, but anyone is welcome to use it.
The app promises a lot of security, so ABC17 checked to see if the app provided all the amenities it promised. We talked with Detective Tracey Perkins from the Boone County Sheriff’s department that said the app is a good idea, except for one major issue. “You are susceptible to that company literally getting all of your personal information. Now are they going to misuse that information and use it illegally, I doubt it. But there’s a potential that their servers or their company could become jeopardized, so you have to consider that.”
While “Companion” is becoming more popular, some Mizzou students had never heard of the app. However, they do use similar technology. Student, Kaitlin Nokes, says her parents constantly stay connected, “My parents have the find my I Phone app and if I’m not in class or I’m somewhere they don’t know they will be like why are you here?”
Other students, such as Emily O’Conner, sees why apps like “Companion” could be beneficial, “You hear about things happening randomly, or like you get kind of paranoid even if there isn’t anything, especially like parking garages.”
The app can also detect changes in movement, including picking up the pace, being pushed, or being dropped. However, as Detective Tracey Perkins pointed out, opening the app to call the police takes longer than simply dialing 9-1-1.
