TY - JOUR PY - 2019// TI - A content analysis of personal safety apps: are they keeping us safe or making us more vulnerable? JO - Violence against women A1 - Maxwell, L. A1 - Sanders, A. A1 - Skues, J. A1 - Wise, L. SP - 1077801219832124 EP - 1077801219832124 VL - ePub IS - ePub N2 - Despite personal safety apps claiming to increase safety, few studies have examined the usefulness of such apps in reducing public stranger violence. A content analysis of personal safety apps available in the iTunes store and Google Play identified location-based services, personal alarms, crowd-sourced hot spot data, and geofencing as the most common features. The majority of apps offered interventions either at the time of the event or post-event, suggesting that they may reduce a user's fear of crime but have limited usefulness in reducing vulnerability to victimization. Implications for users, app designers, and key stakeholders are discussed.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 1077-8012 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1077801219832124 ID - ref1 ER -