It is general knowledge that society evolves; each day we record innovations, all thanks to technology. Despite the enormous benefits we derive from these changes, they are also the reason for the increment in danger faced by humans daily. These inventions are responsible for a wide range of insecurity in the modern world, such as work hazards from equipment, phishing, injuries sustained from electronics, etc. A bigger concern of insecurity in the world is cyber insecurity considering the recent dependence on the internet for commerce, governance, communication, and many more. “Safety does not happen by accident”, they say. It is therefore important for each individual to implement measures to safeguard themselves.
One of these measures is cyber safety; the process of imbibing vast knowledge of the risks involved with internet usage and employing strategies to prevent them, such as strong passwords, safeguarding one’s identity, and keeping privacy settings on. Smartphones are incorporated with features to keep one safe and can only be maximized with the proper knowledge. Examples are GPS trackers and communication of emergencies. Besides these features, there are apps now dedicated to safety and below are five of the best ones.
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Geofencing Apps
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Geofencing is a location-based service in which a mobile device or Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) tag triggers an action upon entering or exiting a virtual boundary set up around a geographical area, referred to as a geofence. Apps or software make use of GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi, or cellular data to trigger a pre-programmed action. Using a geofencing app is quite easy, as it only entails defining the geographic area, specifying the target range, and enabling real-time targeting among a few other things.
Geofencing is beneficial as a safety app in a lot of situations and different places. The geofencing software comes in handy with audience management; it can be used to monitor the entry and exit of children within a specific geographic space. Geofencing has suffered criticism for being slightly invasive, however, it is very resourceful for safeguarding lives and properties, it can always alert when someone or an item is leaving a particular geographical area.
First Aid by American Red Cross
First Aid by American Red Cross is an application that provides relevant life-saving information for free. It is a platform for learning first aid suitable for simple situations that can easily prevent avoidable deaths. This app can help save lives in countless situations, for example, food poisoning, freak accidents, fractures, bruises, and sprains. It was released on the 31st of May 2021 by the American Red Cross. The app can play an integral role in one’s safety if its features are used judiciously. It provides a bookshelf that can be sorted out by the user, e-books that can be downloaded and read at one’s time, a search option for sections in a book, and a table of content to navigate the sections among many others.
While this app works for numerous scenarios, a relatable one is a kid choking on food and a mother jumping in to perform the Heimlich maneuver that she learned on the app, thereby saving her child’s life.
Kitestring
Another good safety app is the Kitestring; a user’s security personnel. It tracks whereabouts and sends them to the user’s registered emergency contacts. The emergency contacts are alerted after the app sends a message to the user at a preset time, expecting a reply but does not get one. Recognizing the importance of safety and each person’s entitlement to it, it provides a free plan for a certain diverse group of people like senior citizens and college students. The app is helpful for situations like kidnapping, accidents, home hazards, and sudden illnesses.
It has been available to everyone on google and apple store since its release on the 2nd of February 2014. The app can be maximized by uploading the contact of friends and families who live close by and can swing into action immediately in the case of danger. In an event where an individual is meeting a stranger, they can activate the app to ensure their emergency contacts are kept in the loop about the location and their safety.
Safe
Likewise, The Safe App is a platform for performing bank transactions, ranging from transferring funds, checking balances, paying bills, deactivating bank cards, and reporting stolen cards. The app prevents hacking, cyber impersonation, and phishing among others. In a scenario where an individual has their belongings stolen, they can easily log in to the app and deactivate their credit card before it can be used to make exorbitant purchases.
Medisafe Medication Reminder
Medisafe Pill & Med Reminder allows users to record medical tests, measurements, and results and reminds them of medications and medical appointments. This app can prevent an overdose and negligence of medication when caregivers are notified by the app. It was released in 2012. The app should be treated like one’s doctor to promote efficiency; input the right information on medication and family contact. In the case of an absentminded person who cannot keep track of their medication, it can prevent an overdose or wrong use of medication.
