A real-time, free emergency management platform
Real-Time Response Management
Decentralized Organization
Fully Customized Alerts
Built By and For Activists
Crowdsource your Emergencies
Live Video Streaming
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I issue a Cell 411 alert?
After you issue an alert, Cell 411 will also prompt you to start streaming live video to the group you alerted, allowing them to watch the live video stream from your device.
I can't add my friends because they don't have accounts, so now what?
How do I update my profile picture?
How do I pull up the "Know Your Rights" screen?
Why does Cell 411 ask for my phone number and emergency contact information?
What is Dispatch Mode?
The feature is disabled by default and must be manually enabled in the Settings screen. Once enabled, you can operate as a dispatcher for alerts. Rather than sending out an alert from your current location, Dispatch Mode will ask you to drop a pin on the map to the location where the event or emergency is taking place. Once you choose the exact location and send out an alert, your friends will be directed to the location you picked.
This feature can be used to de-centralize the management of emergencies and alerts, and it can be extremely useful for small communities, volunteer fire fighter departments, small villages or other organizations that lack the funding necessary to hire a full-time dispatcher to take calls or handle the routing of calls. The feature should be disabled once used, unless you want to operate as a full-time dispatcher for your groups of friends, neighbors, or community.
Why does Cell 411 require so many device permissions?
- Identity: Cell 411 needs to be able to make calls to the Google Maps API in order to load map data. This requires the Identity permission.
- Contacts: Cell 411 needs to be able to load your contacts and allow you to add them as friends.
- Location: Cell 411 needs to be able to determine your geographic location, either through network triangulation or by using GPS, in order to relay your location to selected contacts when you issue an alert.
- Phone: Cell 411 needs to be able to make phone calls to your contacts when they issue alerts.
- Photos / Media / Files: Cell 411 needs to be able to read and write to and from the file system in order to cache certain data, such as user icons and images.
- Camera: Cell 411 needs to be able to use your camera in order to stream and record live video when you issue an alert.
- Microphone: Cell 411 needs to able to use your microphone in order for sound to be included along with live streaming video.
Can I be held legally liable if I help someone?
A good summary of “Good Samaritan Laws” by U.S. state can be found at recreation-law.com
What data do you store and share with others?
Updated 2021-Feb – Currently the Cell 411 system stores far too much information about users and we are working to address the situation. Contact dev@copblock.app for specific details and what you can do to help.
We store the following information: the name, e-mail address and other information you enter when creating a new account. We also store your GPS coordinates when you issue an emergency alert.
We do not share any data with ANY third parties for any reason. However, until we decentralize the app, there are significant risks to centrally hosted databases. You are not obligated to use any personal information when signing up as we do not confirm your email or phone number.
We do share the coordinates, type and details of an emergency alert with your Cell 411 friends when you issue that emergency alert so your friends can respond when you need help. You can also opt to send public alerts to people on patrol mode. Please report any issues to abuse@copblock.app
How do I block a user that is sending too many alerts?
How do I use and manage my cells?
If you want to create a new Public Cell, you can tap on the green icon in the My Public Cells screen. Once you create a public cell, all users in your area will be automatically notified that a new cell was created, so you may receive join requests from strangers. Be aware that if you allow others to join your public cells, they will be able to send and receive alerts to and from that cell and all its members. Note: once you create a public cell, you CANNOT rename it in order to avoid bait-and-switch cell creation activity, so please make sure you name your public cells appropriately from the beginning. To delete a public cell, tap and hold on the cell name.
To join public cells in your area, you can swipe right in the Cells screen and all the public cells in your geographic area will be listed. You can use the slider bar to increase or decrease the distance radius for listing public cells. To leave a public cell you joined, tap on the Leave icon located next to the cell.
How to I re-center the map if I am in motion or my icon is no longer visible?
How do I bring back a missed alert?
What is Patrol Mode?
How do I start streaming video?
In addition to this, you can also stream live video to your own YouTube Live Channel and also to the Cell 411 TV channels on Facebook and YouTube. You can enable these settings by tapping going to the Settings screen then tapping on Video Settings option locate at the top of the Settings screen.
How do I erase a video I streamed?
Cell 411 includes an optional “fake erase” button for situations where you are under duress or in a situation where police or other actors are forcing you to erase videoThe button will not actually erase the video but it will lead coercive individuals to believe that the video is gone and allow you to escape a potentially dangerous situation. The “fake erase” button must first be enabled in the Settings -> Options screen first before it becomes visible.
Why is my live video pixelated and poor quality?
How do I stream video to YouTube?
- Go to http://youtube.com/live_dashboard and login to your YouTube account.
- Enable live video streaming by tapping on the “Stream now” option in the menu on the left.
- Once you setup your account, scroll to the bottom of the screen and retrieve your settings from the Encoder Setup window (see below); tap on Reveal to reveal your stream key.
- Enter the Server URL and the Stream name/key into the Cell 411 YouTube settings in the Video Settings screen.
Now you are ready to stream video to your own YouTube Live channel!