New Anti Police State App Helps You “See Something, Say Something” in Real-Time
Recent studies have shown that police are held almost completely unaccountable by the current systems of governmental oversight. Perhaps this is the reason why you are 9 times more likely to be killed by a law enforcement officer than a terrorist. Rather than wait for bloated bureaucracy or corrupt government to save the day, we as activists have to find our own solutions. Technology is one of these solutions.
As we have seen, the violent crackdown on independent journalism in Ferguson is a sign of a worsening situation in much of America. More than ever, each citizen needs to become a member of the media and record everything that they see during encounters with the police.
A new smartphone app called Sidekik aims to make it as easy as possible for you not only to record the police and upload that recording offsite, but to put you in immediate contact with legal representation to help you navigate the encounter … in real-time.
Please view additional details and their Indiegogo campaign video below if you would like to support this new anti police state tool.
What is Sidekik?
Sidekik is a mobile application which will perform two key actions simultaneously. One, Sidekik will activate your smartphone’s audio and video recording devices and begin streaming the data to a secure facility. Two, Sidekik will initiate a video call and connect you with an attorney who will represent you in whatever situation you find yourself.
Why is Sidekik Important?
When you are in a critical situation, such as being pulled over by law enforcement, the balance of power is often against you. The fact is that most people don’t know their rights or how to enforce them. In addition, without a record of your encounter with law enforcement, the question of what happened during the encounter devolves into your word against that of the officer, which normally results with courts and public opinion in favor of the officer, regardless of what actually occurred. Though many people have begun recording their interactions with law enforcement, the recording is stored on the recording device, which is sometimes confiscated.
Sidekik solves both of these problems. With the activation of the Sidekik app, your smartphone’s audio and video recorders will begin streaming to a secure server. If the officer has behaved outside of their bounds and doesn’t want evidence of that misconduct available to you, there is simply nothing the officer can do. The audio and video has been stored and timestamped securely, and can be retrieved by you at your convenience.
Within seconds of activating the Sidekik app, you will be connected through a video call to an attorney licensed to practice law in your jurisdiction. Every attorney on the Sidekik network will be well versed regarding your rights during a police encounter and do everything in their power to defend your rights as they interact with the officer on your behalf.
Sidekik is important because it restores balance to a previously unequal interaction. Your rights are worth preserving; all it takes is the tap of a screen.
What we need and what you get
Our crowdfunding campaign has a goal of $250,000. Almost all of this funding will go toward the creation of the Sidekik app, attorney software, and website, which will communicate with each other to provide a seamless Sidekik product for you. There are already apps for streaming video and even apps for notifying your attorney that you need assistance. However, nothing has come close to combining audio/video streaming with video call technology as well as high-end security measures to keep your data protected. This combination of features is complex and expensive to produce. We have partnered with one of the top software design firms in the United States, Zco Corporation, to create this leap forward in app sophistication. Once we begin development with Zco Corporation the clock will start ticking and three months later Sidekik will be fully functional.
The remainder of the funds will be used to set up an office in Reno, Nevada, pay for essential legal services, and cover expenses while we work with Zco during Sidekik development.
With your help we will make Sidekik a reality and provide a powerful tool for people to protect their rights.
Perks
You will receive a number of uses of Sidekik for your contribution, with the number of uses varying depending on the size of the contribution. The months included in each perk will match the number of Sidekik uses. For example, if you contribute $10 you will receive a three month subscription with three uses of Sidekik, while a $100 contribution is good for a two year subscription with twenty-four uses of Sidekik along with a one year subscription (twelve uses) for a friend.
When the Sidekik app is activated, the audio and video devices on the user’s smartphone will begin recording and streaming to a secure third party data storage facility. Simultaneously the Sidekikapp will initiate a video phone call, and within a few seconds the user will be seeing and speaking live to an attorney who will represent the user and interact with the police officer on the user’s behalf.
Meet the team, read the FAQ, and Donate Here (32 days left):
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sidekik-real-time-representation-and-data-storage
**This post was originally featured at Activist Post.**
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