The people behind a new smartphone app that can calculate if a vehicle is speeding and record evidence that may be used by the police say they have received so much abuse they’re having to hide their identities.

They have told The Guardian that since it launched in March, the vitriol levied at the team is such that they are afraid of sharing their real identities.

“We’re getting quite abusive emails,” Sam, the app’s founder is quoted as saying while speaking on condition of anonymity. “It’s a Marmite product – some people think it’s a good idea, some people think that it turns us into a surveillance state.

The developers of “Speedcam Anywhere” say it is an AI system that can accurately and verifiably measure vehicle speeds using a mobile phone camera. The app on the phone takes a short video clip of a passing vehicle which is uploaded to the AI server. The server can measure the vehicle speed from the video, check vehicle speeds against speed limits, and provide a report showing evidence of the vehicle speed. It also generates road safety reports and identify speeding hotspots.

The Guardian quotes one online review for the app which says, “In East Germany, citizens were encouraged to report their neighbours to the Stasi for even the smallest societal infraction. ‘Congratulations’ on creating a modern day version of that. If you couldn’t tell, I’m being sarcastic. This app disgusts me.”

The idea is that people could upload footage in a similar way to cyclists who use their helmet cams, or when bad driving is reported using pictures from dashcams.

(Picture – 20s Plenty for Us)