Location Sharing and Technology

Technology can provide useful tools for personal safety.

Your phone can share your location, help someone find you, provide directions and make it easier to get help.

Other technology can help locate belongings or provide more accurate information about where you are.

These tools can be useful, but they have limitations.

Technology should support good decisions, not replace them.

Sharing your location

Many smartphones and messaging apps allow you to share your location with another person.

This might be useful when:

• travelling alone

• meeting someone somewhere unfamiliar

• walking back from an event

• waiting for transport

• letting somebody know that you have arrived safely

You might share your live location with a trusted friend or family member for the duration of a journey.

Think about who you are sharing your location with and how long they need access to it.

Location information is personal information. Share it with people you trust and review ongoing location-sharing permissions from time to time.

Agree what the information means

Sharing your location does not automatically mean somebody is monitoring your safety.

If you are relying on another person as part of your plan, agree what you expect beforehand.

For example:

“I’ll message you when I get back.”

or:

“I’ll share my location while I’m walking to the station. If I don’t message when I arrive, give me a call.”

A simple agreement is more useful than assuming somebody will notice if something changes.

What is what3words?

what3words is a location system that divides the world into small squares and gives each square a unique combination of three words.

This can help describe a precise location, particularly somewhere without an obvious street address.

For example, you might be:

• in a large park

• on a rural path

• at an event

• beside a particular entrance

• somewhere along a road

If you need to communicate your location, a precise location can sometimes make it easier for somebody to find you.

However, what3words is one location tool. Emergency services may use or request different ways of identifying your location depending on the circumstances.

If contacting the emergency services, follow the call handler’s instructions and provide as much useful location information as you can.

AirTags and similar trackers

Small tracking devices such as Apple AirTags can help locate belongings.

For example, you might place one in:

• luggage

• a bag

• keys

• other valuable belongings

They can be useful if an item is lost or left behind.

However, they are primarily designed to locate items, not to act as personal emergency devices.

Their location may not update continuously or immediately, and their operation can depend on nearby devices and other factors.

Do not rely on an item tracker as your main method of keeping somebody safe or getting emergency help.

Be aware of unwanted tracking

Technology that can locate belongings can also potentially be misused.

Modern phones may warn you if an unknown compatible tracking device appears to be moving with you.

Do not automatically assume an alert means somebody is deliberately tracking you. There may be an innocent explanation.

However, take the alert seriously enough to investigate it.

Follow the instructions provided by your phone or the tracker manufacturer and consider your circumstances.

If you believe somebody may be using technology to track you deliberately and you feel at risk, move towards somewhere safe and seek appropriate help.

Technology can fail

Phones and other devices rely on things such as:

• battery power

• mobile signal

• GPS

• internet access

• software

• other devices or networks

Any of these can fail or become unavailable.

This is why technology should form part of your personal safety plan rather than being the whole plan.

Ask yourself:

What would I do if my phone stopped working?

You might still need to know:

• where you are

• where other people are

• where you could go

• how you could get help

Don’t let sharing replace awareness

It can be reassuring to know that somebody has your location.

But sharing your location does not make an unsafe environment safe.

Continue to pay attention to what is happening around you.

If something concerns you, act.

Do not continue towards somewhere you feel increasingly uncomfortable simply because somebody can see your location.

NOTICE → THINK → ACT

Technology should fit into the same approach we have used throughout this manual.

NOTICE

Where am I?

What is happening?

Do I have signal and battery?

THINK

Would technology help me?

Who could I contact?

Do I need to share my location?

Would moving somewhere safer be more useful first?

ACT

Move if necessary.

Contact someone.

Share useful information.

Get help.

Technology can give you more options.

But the most important personal safety tool remains your ability to notice what is happening, think about your options and act when something changes.