JDoe

JDoe is a public benefit corporation[1] which allows survivors and witnesses to anonymously report sexual misconduct through its app.[2][3][4][5]

Model

JDoe is free for users and is available as a mobile app for iOS and Android.[6] Users can report assaults anonymously identifying their offenders by methods such as name, email, or Facebook URL.[6][4] The app uses homomorphic encryption which allows the company to use identifying information from reports without knowing what the information is itself.[7] Users can choose to keep their reports in "escrow" until another user makes a report against the same perpetrator.[8] When multiple reports are made against the same offender, users are notified of the existence of matches and are encouraged to pursue civil litigation together against the offender.[2]

Lawyers pay to get new clients for civil suits resulting from multiple assault reports against the same perpetrator.[6] Such cases are thought to be more effective when victims take class action as a group.[9] Lawyers with app access can reach out to users who have the choice to respond.[2] Matches will be notified if another victim of the same perpetrator contacts a law firm.[4] Lawyers take cases on contingency and JDoe profits from attorney legal marketing fees and successful case outcomes.[6] As of 2019, the company claimed to be working with 30 law firms and to have helped identify 65 offenders.[7]

Founder

JDoe founder Ryan Soscia, a survivor himself,[2] began working on the app in 2014 after hearing several friends recount being assaulted by the same person a few years prior.[2][4][8] Soscia sought to use technology to make the reporting process easier.[8][10] Soscia took a leave of absence from University of California, San Diego to work on the app with a venture capital firm,[7] eventually being selected as a fellow in the Halcyon Incubator[2] and the LexisNexis Legal Tech Accelerator.[11]

Criticism

Since the app creates matches based on user reports, concerns have been raised about potential harm toward those affected by false allegations.[6] Soscia has said that the system itself weeds out false reports[4] since only lawyers have access to the reports and are unlikely to take cases that will not hold up in court.[2]

Some critics have claimed that JDoe would be required to turn over user information if ordered to do so by a court.[12] However, Soscia claims that because of the encryption setup, JDoe would be unable to access user data even if compelled by a warrant.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "JDoe website".
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dvorak, Petula (2018-02-08). "One man's plan to fight sexual assault: Have the victims band together". Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  3. ↑ Dellatto, Marisa (2018-09-21). "People are using a new app to report sex assault anonymously". New York Post. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Koslof, Evan (14 February 2018). "DC app 'gives a voice' to sexual misconduct victims". wusa9.com. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  5. ↑ "Growing number of tech tools aim to empower survivors to report sexual assaults". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Smith, Tovia. "How Smartphone Apps Could Change The Way Sexual Assault Is Reported". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
  7. 1 2 3 "Former Stonington resident develops app to help sexual assault victims". The Day. 2019-09-29. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
  8. 1 2 3 Abramson, Ashley (2018-10-05). "How a High-Tech Future of Sexual Assault Reporting Could Help Survivors Feel Safer". Brit + Co. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  9. ↑ "This nonprofit raises social entrepreneurs under its own roof". SiliconANGLE. 2018-02-27. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
  10. ↑ Fox, Andrea (26 December 2019). "2 Tech Solutions Aid Survivors Reporting Sexual Assault & Rape". EfficientGov. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  11. ↑ "LexisNexis Announces Fourth Round of Legal Tech Accelerator Participants". www.lexisnexis.com. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
  12. ↑ Shugerman, Emily (2019-01-25). "New Website Plans to Collect #MeToo Victims' Data and Sell It". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
  13. ↑ Greig, Jonathan. "Reporting sexual misconduct could get easier with new apps JDoe and Callisto". CNET. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
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