It’s the summer of sports. This year, three different sport celebrations are taking place. We have the Copa America taking place in our own backyard, here’s to hoping that Team USA makes it to the finals. The long awaited Olympics will be taking place on August in Brazil and across the pond in France, we have the UEFA Euro 2016 currently taking place.
Events like these are always filled with joy and a sense of pride. There is also some uneasiness because we live in a world that has been plagued by violence. One of the host countries, France, was recently shattered by acts of terrorism.
Since the November attacks, France has been working on safety measures and preventing tragedies. They have been increasing the amount of police enforcement as well as creating systems to quickly notify citizens of any terrorist activities.
On June 8th, French government released an app with one sole purpose, to alert the user in case of terrorist attacks.
The app is called SAIP. It is available in both English and French and is available in both Android and iOS. It is managed by the states services and the ministry of the interior. The user will be able to sign up for 8 different geographical locations and the alerts will provide a description of what has happened as well as advice on how to take shelter and stay safe.
The app will not send sound or vibrating notifications, instead it will use red visual notifications. The users’ privacy will be completely confidential, the app will not store IP addresses, names, or phone numbers.
France will remain in high alert throughout the EURO 2016. This is a great idea that other countries could adopt to keep their citizens safe through acts of terrorism and or natural disasters.