Mods, if this isn’t appropriate please remove. My brother and I are homeowners with young kids in a pretty safe area, but we’ve had a few break-ins over the past couple of years. So, we built a free app that helps you create a neighborhood network and lets you send alerts to your neighbors in case of an emergency. While our law enforcement is great, they can be slower to respond than our neighbors. We’d really appreciate it if people would try the app as part of their home defense plan and let us know what you think! Here’s the link:
Your website is completely broken. All it shows is a “Citrix Login” screen with a username and password field. Plus, it’s not even using SSL, so you’re basically asking for passwords?
You really need to take this down and get a real web developer to fix it.
@Griff
Are you sure that’s not on your end? Could your system be intercepting the site’s traffic?
Zinnia said:
@Griff
Are you sure that’s not on your end? Could your system be intercepting the site’s traffic?
Nope, I tested it on multiple systems, both wired and mobile, with different ISPs. The site isn’t using SSL, and now it’s down completely according to a website that checks for downtime.
Is this just a personal project, a proof of concept, or are you trying to build this into a business? I think the site looks decent, but I noticed some potential issues. For instance, your Terms of Service overlap with your Privacy Policy, which could be a problem.
I saw your Privacy Policy mentions not collecting data from kids, which is good, but then you’re allowing people to import contact lists, which could include kids’ info. It would be safer and clearer to limit how you handle this data and who it’s shared with.
Also, I didn’t see anything about how your app handles emergencies or whether it’s connected to 911. It would be good to include a disclaimer that this app isn’t a substitute for calling 911. I also didn’t see any info about whether the app needs internet or SMS to work, which could cost users extra.
What’s your plan for preventing abuse? For example, if someone misuses the system or creates fake profiles, how do you deal with that? Is there any rate limiting to avoid someone sending too many alerts?
There are already apps like Nextdoor and Neighbor that offer similar features. But if this goes beyond just sending alerts and encourages neighbors to respond to emergencies, it could be really dangerous.
It’s important to remember that an individual shouldn’t leave their home to confront threats. Having random neighbors try to help could lead to serious safety issues. There’s also the risk of misidentification or Blue on Good Guy situations. This could expose you to some serious legal and safety problems if it’s not thought out carefully.
At the end of the day, securing your home is your responsibility.
@Blair
Ugh, Nextdoor is just full of people offering to vacuum your floors endlessly.