Policy Observatory
Samaritans pulls suicide watch Radar app over privacy concerns
The charity Samaritans has suspended a new Twitter app which enables users to monitor the accounts of their friends for distressing messages, following a backlash from privacy campaigners. The Radar app, which launched just over a week ago, sends an alert to users when people they follow post messages that suggest depressed or suicidal thoughts. But critics, including the founder of a petition against the app which won more than 1,200 signatures, argued the tool breaches user’s privacy by collecting, processing and sharing sensitive information about their emotional and mental health.
Country: Global
Domains: Privacy
Stakeholder: Civil Society
Tags: online tool, consent, legitimate purpose, suicidal thoughts, app, health, privacy