General

What is Whistler?

Whistler is a mobile application designed for those fighting for rights and justice and facing the threat of digital or physical repression. At this time, it is only available on Android.

Who is behind Whistler?

Whistler is developed by Build A Movement (BAM). BAM is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization dedicated to supporting activists and organizers around the world. Find out more about BAM on our website here.

Why should I trust Whistler to keep my identity secret?

You shouldn't. You (or someone you trust) can audit our code on GitHub: https://github.com/BuildAMovement/Whistler-Android

Is it free?

Yes.

How can I support Whistler?

We are looking for financial support to continue improving Whistler, develop new features and launch an iOS version. If you want to support us, email us at contact@whistlerapp.org.

Reporting

What does Reporting do?

Whistler's Reporting feature enables you to swiftly document and publicize events you are witnessing. You can capture audio, photo or video evidence and send it in just a few swipes to a large number of recipients: your fellow activists, human rights organizations, journalists, etc. The report created by Whistler also includes a whole range of data to help recipients authenticate the evidence: location, elevation, luminosity, surrounding WiFi networks and cell towers.

How does it work?

Your report is uploaded to Whistler servers and we send an email from report@whistlerapp.org to everyone in your list of recipients. The email includes a link to your report. We do not mention anything about your identity (which we don't know anyway).

Can anyone see my reports?

Before sending the report from the app, you decide whether it should be public or not. If it's public, anyone can see it on our website here. If it's private, only your recipients will be able to see it, by following the URL they'll receive from Whistler.

How many recipients can I send my report to?

As many as you'd like.

What if I don’t have an internet connection when I send a report?

Your report will be stored encrypted on your device and it will be sent automatically as soon as you connect to the Internet.

Panic Button

What does triggering Panic Mode do?

Panic Mode sends an SMS to your Circle of Trust to alert them that you are in an emergency situation, with your geolocation (if GPS is activated on your phone when you trigger Panic Mode), and erases some of the sensitive data you have on your device. Make sure you set your Panic Mode preferences before you get into a potentially dangerous situation:

  • Add your trusted contacts (family, friends, lawyer, etc) to your Circle of Trust
  • Set the message your Circle of Trust will receive
  • Select the data that will be erased (draft reports, sent reports, Reporting recipients, Circle of Trust, Panic Mode message)

I triggered Panic Mode and lost all my Whistler data, what kind I do?

Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to recover your data. We're currently working on adding a backup of your data when Panic Mode is triggered to avoid this situation.

Other

Your question is not answered here? Email us at contact@whistlerapp.org