Students at Columbia University have created an app that allows students to anonymously report the site where they experienced instances of sexual assault.
The app, named Aware, allows students with .edu email addresses to report both the location and type of incident. There is a drop-down menu from which students can select the type of assault case, including sexual assault and catcalls. Students in the nearby area will receive an alert and the person that reported the incident will be presented with a list of nearby resources.
Concerns have risen over the potential of slander and libel that may accompany the app. Users whose reports are found to be either false or inaccurate can potentially be sued.
The app can also hurt groups located in a certain area if multiple reports are made from that same area. "If a location is associated with a team or a group, it wouldn't be terribly hard to narrow down the potential perpetrators," Christina Brandt-Young, a senior staff attorney at Legal Momentum, said. The developers of the app are currently working with their lawyers to create a privacy policy to prevent such legal issues.
Aware is set to launch to a small group in the upcoming weeks.
Read more about Aware at the Columbia Spectator.
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