Will the State Department allow this app to become available in the U.S.?
U.S. develops cell phone 'panic button' that wipes out address books and sends emergency alerts
By Daily Mail Reporter
MailOnline.co.uk
March 28, 2011
A 'panic button' that wipes out cell phone address books and sends emergency alerts is being developed by the U.S. government for pro-democracy campaigners.
A special app can be activated if the smartphone is confiscated by security authorities.
The U.S. State Department is targeting countries ranging from the Middle East to China with the technology.
It wants to equip the activists with the tools to fight back against repressive governments.
Michael Posner, assistant U.S. secretary of state for human rights and labour said: 'We've been trying to keep below the radar on this, because a lot of the people we are working with are operating in very sensitive environments.'
The initiative is part of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's push to expand Internet freedoms, because of the crucial role Facebook and Twitter has had in fuelling pro-democracy movements in Iran, Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere.
