TORONTO – A suicide prevention charity in the U.K. has launched a web-based Twitter app that privately flags worrisome tweets from friends.
The Samaritans Radar app monitors a user’s Twitter feed and highlights, through email, any tweets from friends that may be a sign of someone “struggling to cope.”
“We know that people struggling to cope often go online looking for support,” said Joe Ferns, executive director of policy, research and development at Samaritans, in a press release. “However, there is still so much we need to learn about why this happens and how we can make the online environment safer for vulnerable people.”
According to the charity’s website, the app uses an algorithm that looks for specific keywords or phrases, like “help me,” “hate myself,” and “depressed,” in a tweet.
“We need to use tools such as Samaritans Radar to encourage people to look out for one another online, helping them to reach out and offer support,” Ferns said.
The app is targeted at 18- to 35-year-olds.
“Twitter actively forges partnerships with organizations in the field of online safety and digital citizenship,” Patricia Cartes, Twitter’s global head of trust and safety outreach, said in a press release. “Samaritans has a longstanding reputation for supporting people in times of need.”
The charity said the app is still in its early stages and it “won’t get it right every time – it’s not good at sarcasm or jokes yet.”
Global News reached out to Twitter Canada for comment but, at the time of publication, has yet to hear back.
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