Watch Duty was downloaded 2 million times on the LA fires this week


Fire-tracking app Watch Duty has become an important source of information for Los Angeles residents threatened by ongoing wildfires.

as TechCrunch’s Maxwell Zeff explainsthe app relies on a network of active and retired firefighters, first responders, official government reports, and volunteer reporters monitoring radio scanners to offer real-time updates on active wildfires .

During this week’s fires, where official alerts were either buggy or inaccurate, Watch Duty rose to the top of Apple’s App Store charts. And on an interview on Saturday with The New York TimesCEO John Mills said the app has been downloaded 2 million times since Tuesday and has seen 14 million unique users this week.

Mills said the app is run by a nonprofit funded primarily by donations, with 15 full-time employees and 200 employees. He insists that Watch Duty collects very little personal data about users and that he has no intention of selling it.

“I owe it to my community not to be a disaster capitalist,” he said.



Source link

  • Related Posts

    Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Jan. 13, #316

    Looking for Latest Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hintsas well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Connections puzzles.…

    Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Jan. 13

    sought the latest Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hintsas well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands and Connections puzzles.…

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *