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Watch Duty was downloaded 2 million times during this week’s LA fires

TechCrunch LogoTechCrunch12h ago

Watch Duty was downloaded 2 million times during this week’s LA fires - TechCrunch

Quick Summary:

Fire-tracking app Watch Duty has become a crucial source of information for Los Angeles residents threatened by wildfires.  As TechCrunch’s Maxwell Zeff explained, the app relies on a network of active and retired firefighters, first responders, official government reports, and volunteer reporters who monitor radio scanners to offer real-time updates on active wildfires.

He insisted that Watch Duty collects very little personal data about users and that he has no intention of selling.“I owe it to my community to not be a disaster capitalist,” he said.

Mills said that the app is operated by a nonprofit funded primarily by donations, with 15 full-time employees and 200 employees.


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Article Details

Author / Journalist: Anthony Ha

Category: Technology

Markets:

Topics:

Source Website Secure: Yes (HTTPS)

News Sentiment: Neutral

Fact Checked: Legitimate

Article Type: News Report

Published On: 2025-01-12 @ 21:45:37 (12 hours ago)

News Timezone: GMT -5:00

News Source URL: techcrunch.com

Language: English

Article Length: 166 words

Reading Time: 1 minutes read

Sentences: 6 lines

Sentence Length: 28 words per sentence (average)

Platforms: Desktop Web, Mobile Web, iOS App, Android App

Copyright Owner: © TechCrunch

News ID: 25090609

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Official Website: techcrunch.com

Update Frequency: 7 posts per day

Year Established: 2005

Headquarters: United States

News Last Updated: 10 hours ago

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Publisher ID: #20

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