PanicKit 1.0: built-in panic button and full app wipes

Panic Kit is 1.0! After over three years of use, it is time to call this stable and ready for widespread use. Built-in panic button This round of work includes a new prototype for embedding PanicKit directly into Android. Android 9.0 Pie introduced a new “lockdown” mode which follows some of the patterns laid out by PanicKit. [Read More]

“If This, Then Panic!” Sample Code for Triggering Emergency Alerts

Earlier this year, we announced the PanicKit Library for Android and Ripple, our basic app for alerts any compatible app that you are in an emergency situation. Rather than build a solitary, enclosed “panic button” app that only can provide a specific set of functionality, we decided, as we often do, to build a framework, and encourage others to participate. Since then, we’ve had over 10 different apps implement PanicKit responder functionality, including Signal, OpenKeyChain, Umbrella app, StoryMaker and Zom. [Read More]

PanicKit: making your whole phone respond to a panic button

Our mobile devices do so many things for us, making it easy to communicate with people in all manners while giving us access to all sorts of information wherever we are. But in times of anxiety and panic, it is difficult to quickly use them. Will you be too shaky to type in your PIN or lock pattern? Will you have enough time to find your trusted contacts and send them a message? [Read More]

Keeping data private means it must be truly deletable!

There are lots of apps these days that promise to keep your data secure, and even some that promise to wipe away private information mere seconds or minutes after it has been received. It is one thing to keep data out of view from people you don’t want seeing it, it is also important to be able to truly delete information. Unfortunately computers make it very difficult to make data truly disappear. [Read More]