Media Release
Saturday, June 27, 2015
TORONTO – (June 27 2015) – As more attention is being drawn to discriminatory and illegal carding practices by the Toronto Police, Legalswipe hopes to put some of the power back into the hands of citizens. A legal rights app, available for free on iOs and Android devices, Legalswipe empowers users by providing legal rights information the moment they begin an interaction with law enforcement.
Legalswipe is social innovation designed to counteract policies such as carding in Canada and stop-and-frisk in the United States, which often result in the arbitrary detention of civilians. Currently, users can film and upload an encounter to a Dropbox account as it happens, whilst also receiving situation-specific legal advice and alerting emergency contacts.
Legalswipe launches its Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign today in the hopes of raising $140,000 to expand its services. The community was invited to hear remarks from Desmond Cole, a writer whose troubling account of over 50 police encounters was the cover story for the May 2015 issue of Toronto Life, Idil Burale, a community activist and Associate for the MaRS Solutions Lab, and Omar-Ha Redeye, a lawyer and professor at Ryerson University.
Christien Levien, the app developer, is a recent law school graduate. “I am from a community where many people have first-hand experience with police assault and brutality. I was fortunate to have received a legal education and can now use my platform and experience to advocate for those who lack the resources to defend themselves.” says Levien.
Commenting on the work of Legalswipe, Alvin Curling, former speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario said, “I want to commend the Legalswipe team for combining technology and legal rights education to help Canadians navigate police interactions. Legal rights education is essential to a working democracy.”
Legalswipe covers the law in both Canada and the United States and is situational: it provides legal rights information depending on the type of encounter, and provides users with the exact words to use. The app also sends a personalized, geotagged message to emergency contacts.
It’s legal to record police encounters in Canada, but Levien acknowledges that some people may be apprehensive about using a smartphone during police encounters. He notes that Legalswipe can function as an educational tool to stimulate conversation and expand the public’s knowledge of their legal rights and civil liberties. Desmond Cole adds, “it’s important for people to know their legal rights during interactions with police. The ability to communicate our rights can keep us safe and set appropriate boundaries between police and civilians”.
Support through the Indiegogo will help Legalswipe:
· Develop voice recognition capabilities;
· Add support for French and Spanish;
· Create an intelligent feedback system that will interpret situations and generate responses without user-prompts;
· Expand capacity into labour, tenant and family law;
· Allow the app to cover international law beyond Canada and the United States;
· Implement a lawyer review service; and
· Seek opportunities for Legalswipe to become a sustainable social enterprise.
To help support Legalswipe, please visit: www.legalswipe.com
