The Samaritans charity has launched a new app that will notify Twitter users if people they follow on the site appear to be suicidal. Samaritans Radar uses an algorithm to identify keywords and phrases which indicate distress.
They include “tired of being alone”, “hate me”, “depressed”, “help me” and “need someone to talk to.” Users who have signed up for the scheme will receive an email alert if someone they follow tweets these statements.
The app asks whether the tweets are cause for concern. However, it does not yet identify sarcasm, according to the website. The charity says it will not get involved directly unless requested. ‘not private’
Joe Ferns, executive director of policy, research and development at Samaritans, said the app was not designed to be a furtive tracking tool.
“Radar is only picking up tweets that are public, giving you an opportunity to see tweets that you would have seen anyway,” he said.
“But imagine that a friend had posted something in the early hours of the morning, you’re on the way to work or college and your Twitter feed is full of messages that are arguably less important – Samaritans Radar gives you the opportunity to see that tweet again and have it highlighted to you.
“It’s not looking over your shoulder, it’s not looking anything that’s private, it’s just giving you the opportunity to see something and act on it.”
Samaritans Radar was created by digital agency Jam and uses Twitter’s API. It is primarily aimed at 18-35-year-olds.
“They are ‘digital natives’ – growing up using new technology and the first generation to grow up with computers in their home,” said Patricia Cartes, global head of trust and safety outreach at Twitter.
“They are the most active age group across social platforms and spend an average of just over three hours daily on social networks.”
Samaritans said it was looking at extending the service to other social media networks in the future.
