Beacon

How Beacon works

A full walkthrough of the app with sample screens. Every step is designed to protect your identity and keep your data under your control.

  1. Step 1

    Home – Map and actions

    Open Beacon and see your area on the map. From the action bar you can send a beacon alert, record evidence (video or photo), upload from your gallery, or browse nearby incident reports. No account or sign-in required.

    👤
    ?
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    ◉
    Beacon
    ▶
    Record
    ↑

    Long-press any button for help

    Home map with Beacon, Record, and View Reports
  2. Step 2

    Capture evidence

    Record video (up to 45 seconds) or take a photo. Media stays on your phone until you choose to submit. Camera and microphone are used only when you capture; we don’t stream or store raw footage on our servers.

    Sample evidence 1 – example of what might be reported
    Sample evidence 2 – example of what might be reported
    Sample evidence 3 – example of what might be reported
    Sample evidence 4 – example of what might be reported
    Sample evidence 5 – example of what might be reported
    PhotoVideo

    Media stays on your phone until you submit.

    Capture video or photo
  3. Step 3

    Add details

    Enter a category (e.g. checkpoint, detention, use of force), a short public summary (max 160 characters), and optional private notes. The public summary is what others see on the map; private notes are encrypted and only available to authorized officials.

    Incident Details

    checkpoint
    Vehicle stop at Main & 5th. No citation.

    42/160

    Optional
    Category, summary, and private notes
  4. Step 4

    Set location

    Confirm or adjust the report location. Your exact coordinates are never stored in plain text. We use a coarse grid (about 400m) with jitter for public pins, so your precise position stays private while still showing the general area.

    Location & Beacon

    Your public location is approximate for safety (~1/4 mile).

    ◉Create Beacon Alert

    No active beacons in this area. Creating one will notify nearby users.

    Send beacon to nearby users

    Near: Main St & 5th Ave

    Location & Beacon – map and beacon toggle
  5. Step 5

    Review and submit

    Review your report and choose whether to share media publicly. Then tap Secure & Submit. Your narrative, exact location, and media are encrypted on your device before upload. Our servers only store ciphertext; we cannot decrypt your private evidence.

    Review & Submit

    Category

    checkpoint

    Public Summary

    Vehicle stop at Main & 5th.

    Media

    1 file(s)

    Share media publicly

    Your photos and videos will be visible to other users.

    Your exact location, description, and media are protected on your phone before sending.

    Review and secure submit
  6. Step 6

    Browse nearby incidents

    From the home screen, open the list view to see anonymized reports near you. Each card shows category, public summary, and approximate distance. Tap one to see full public details and any shared media.

    Nearby Reports

    checkpoint0.2 mi

    Vehicle stop at Main & 5th.

    Jan 15, 2025

    detention0.5 mi

    Pedestrian stop near park.

    Jan 15, 2025

    Nearby incidents list
  7. Step 7

    Incident detail

    On the detail screen you see the category, full public summary, approximate location (e.g. intersection), and any photos or videos the reporter chose to share publicly. Private evidence remains encrypted and is not visible here.

    ●checkpoint

    Vehicle stop at Main & 5th. No citation.

    Traffic stop evidence 1 – city street
    Traffic stop evidence 2 – city street

    Approx. location: Main St & 5th Ave · Reported Jan 15

    Incident detail with sample data

Sample data in mockups

The screens in this walkthrough use example content (e.g. category “checkpoint”, summary “Vehicle stop at Main & 5th”) to show what the app looks like. No real user data is displayed.