Using your cell phone as a weapon for self defence

Imagine a special button on your cell phone. In an emergency, such as a situation in which you are afraid you are about to be attacked by a criminal, point the cell phone at him and press the button to take his photo - this may well be the last photograph you take! The picture would be sent instantaneously for safekeeping to a remote server with location and time information. The audio channel would be switched on and a loud warning issued to the attacker; something like "Your photograph has been sent to the police. Avoid all violence!" Any conversation would be recorded and preserved on the server. The record would be preserved for use by the law & order authorities later on. Text and or email alerts would be sent to a set of pre-stored addresses.

The attacker would probably grab the phone and smash it, providing a useful distraction. You can improve the situation by throwing the phone into a bush or over a fence! Would the attacker be enraged and punish you? I cannot predict what will happen in the individual case but if the world comes to know that many people carry cell phones equipped with such an invention, attacks would surely come down.

The company or agency running the server should not allow the cell phone “owner” to retrieve or delete any recording sent to it. It should be treated as police property for investigation and use in a court.

Why did I think of such an invention? I was reading a very interesting article on the website of AAAS Science

To foster complex societies, tell people a god is watching

Obviously, belief in an omnipresent god deters a lot of people from anti-social behavior. The fear is particularly effective as “god can punish you even after you are dead!”

I believe that the ubiquitous cell phone could have significant deterrent effect too!

Why do I publish this in a blog meant for students? I hope that some of them will implement a project based on this idea or an improved version. The implementation may be as simple as an app; you don't really need a special button!

CCTV cameras are playing a useful role in helping police catch criminals. I would like every cell phone to function as something equivalent to a CCTV camera. There is usually a cell phone wherever there is a potential victim!