An iPhone shortcut that allows users to automatically record their interactions with police is gaining popularity.
Once installed, a user can simply say “Siri, I”m getting pulled over” or clicks a button on the screen saver to activate.
The shortcut will pause music, turn down the brightness and volume, place the phone in the “Do Not Disturb” mode to block any incoming calls, and start a video recording on the front-facing camera.
An alert will also be sent to a friend or close contact to inform them of the situation and your location. After the video is saved, another message will be sent saying that the user is safe.
The independent shortcut was developed by Robert Petersen and first released on Reddit in 2018.
Petersen told Business Insider in 2018 that the app is essentially the “civilian equivalent” of body cameras worn by many police officers.
The developer has added on Twitter that none of the police officers he has spoken to “have had any issue with it all” and that he “has his reasons” behind the technology.
Its rise in popularity comes amid the widespread global protests and anger over police brutality.
Thousands of people have marched against police violence since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.
Video captured on mobile devices shared the fatal arrest of Floyd on social media.
The shortcut can only be downloaded and installed from Apple’s browser, Safari, on iPhone, and is not currently available on the smartphone’s app store.
There is also no direct Android equivalent of the shortcut, but similar apps can be found on the Google Play Store to discreetly record videos.
Click on the player above to watch Alex Morgan’s report in #TheCube.