Great news! Amnesty has just been awarded £100,000 from Google to develop our Panic Button app, to become a lifeline for human rights activists working in risky situations.
On Monday 3 June our team pitched the project to a panel that included the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee. The judges chose four Global Impact Awardees who will receive £500,000 from Google to develop their ideas.
We were proud to be among six additional finalists, which each received £100,000 to help make their vision a reality.
Rolling out plansThe fund means we can start the next phase of rolling out plans for the app and testing it with regional activist networks.
We will also be working with them and our partners to develop a training curriculum for how to use the Panic Button. That way, more people globally will be able to access and use the system safely as part of their security plans.
Many governments are increasingly using technology to track, monitor and silence people who speak up for human rights. So our overall goal is to equip people with the tools and knowledge to use technology more safely in their work.
And since many activists still rely on basic handsets, we will also use some of the Google funds to explore a mobile system that works on cheaper, more basic handsets than a Smartphone.
Thank you!The charities that won the full £500,000 Google Global Impact Award, based on the Judges’ Vote, were Apps for Good, Integrity Action and Solar Aid. The Fan favourite was the London Zoological Society’s project, which intends to use micro-cameras to protect endangered wildlife in Eastern Africa. We were truly honoured to be finalists alongside these and many other inspiring projects.
Thank you so much to everyone who voted for our Panic Button in the Google Global Impact Awards! We were bowled over by the support from across the world. We will keep you updated as our plans develop, so watch this space.
Find out more• A lifeline for activists