Limitations

This report focusses mostly on research conducted in high income countries in the English language, negating the technologies that exist in other parts of the world or academic literature that has been produced in different languages. Indeed, there is a large body of scholarship from the Global South which has not been included in this study, which could provide valuable insights into the landscape of personal safety apps.

This report has included literature on apps that are for use in specific contexts, including apps to tackle intimate partner violence. There is currently a small body of research focussing on the use of apps in the public space, and an even smaller body of research in public transport environments, limiting the findings of the study.