26-Year-Old Woman Creates 'Safety App' to Avoid Taliban... "Real-Time Alerts for Violent Situations"

Developer of safety app 'Etesab'. Photo by Sarah Wahedi, Twitter capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim So-young] Amid reports of oppression by the Islamic militant group Taliban, which has taken control of Afghanistan, an application (app) designed to help people avoid such dangers is gaining popularity locally.

On the 23rd (local time), the New York Post reported that residents of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, are using a public safety app called "Ehtesab" to avoid Taliban checkpoints and violence.

Ehtesab means "responsibility" in Dari and Pashto, the local languages of Afghanistan. It was developed by 26-year-old CEO Sara Wahedi, who worked for the Afghan government for two years. Although it was launched in March last year, the number of users has increased recently after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.

Through a "crowdsource" method where users contribute information, the app reflects real-time emergencies such as checkpoints and violent incidents occurring in Kabul.

The app is currently available on both iPhone and Android devices and operates similarly to the American public safety app "Citizen," popular in New York and Los Angeles (LA). However, unlike Citizen, Ehtesab has limited access to public information such as fire department 911 situations, so it operates by monitoring social media and citizen reports.

In an interview with the New York Post, Wahedi explained, "Ehtesab scans social media and emergency information submitted by users, verifies it thoroughly, and then sends alerts to users."

She added, "To avoid attracting the Taliban's attention, the alerts do not directly mention the Taliban." For example, if the Taliban have set up barricades on roads and are threatening citizens, the app warns users of traffic congestion caused by checkpoints in specific areas.

Safety app 'Etesab' Photo by Sarah Wahedi Twitter capture

Wahedi continued, "I did not want to be trapped in Afghanistan. I sometimes feel guilty because my friends and family are still there," and explained, "I am doing my best to help employees who have not been able to leave Afghanistan to depart." Having worked for the Afghan government in the past, Wahedi was a potential target of the Taliban, so she left her home country this summer, traveled through Canada, and is now pursuing her undergraduate studies at Columbia University in New York.

She also said, "Since the Taliban took over Kabul, app usage has surged in recent weeks. Someday, Ehtesab might become an app used by everyone in Afghanistan, but I worry about what to do if the Taliban start checking citizens' phones. It will take time to find a way to use the app without putting users at risk."

She added, "Most of Ehtesab's staff are women. We have struggled to operate the app while working from home to avoid potential Taliban oppression," and "Out of concern for Taliban retaliation, we deleted all images of female staff that had been posted on the app's homepage and social media."

Finally, she said, "We are focusing on temporarily increasing capacity to continue operations during this crisis," and "We just hope the app does not stop working."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.