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New app offers precise location to first responders, emergency contacts

By Dick Uliano

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WASHINGTON — A new app is promising to provide emergency responders a user’s precise location inside a building.

The makers of the app, 911HelpSMS, said it would be particularly suitable for students, and it will provide children an extra layer of security.

“The software basically will type your location for you so that it speeds up the process. It also prevents mistakes (when) you’re in a state of panic,” said Minh Tran, founder of Safety Now Solutions, which developed the app.

The app can detect embedded location data in the Wi-Fi signal, which would then be relayed to 911. Also, bar codes of precise coordinates could be placed in fixed locations, such as classrooms, which could be scanned by a smartphone and sent to 911.

911HelpSMS includes various features, including one called Walk Safely, “where the student can actually have parents or friends watch them while they’re walking or jogging, in real time,” Tran said.

The app is available for iPhone and Android systems.

See how the app works:

The US lags other countries in social media restrictions for kids, but a reform push is growing

By The Associated Press
Amy Neville describes Kristin Bride as her “soulmate.” But the day that forged their bond — June 23, 2020 — was the worst of each of their lives. Both Bride and Neville lost their teen sons that day. Their kids lived a thousand miles apart and never met, but they both died from harms related to their social media use. When the two mothers met, early in their advocacy work to protect other kids, Bride said she had felt “totally alone.” But they have since seen the online child safety movement blossom, with scores of other parents who lost kids pursuing stronger social media safeguards and legislation to protect children online. With that momentum, advocates say the tide seems to be turning. A pair of landmark jury verdicts this year showed a way forward for holding tech companies accountable. And while the U.S. is nowhere near embracing social media bans for children like those seen from Australia to Indonesia, a push for regulation is simmering again in Congress.
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