As humanitarian organizations increasingly experiment with phone-based messaging applications, a new report from the International Committee of the Red Cross offers ideas, pointers and notes of caution to guide their work.
Messaging applications appeal to humanitarians because, in many communities, they are increasingly the preferred communication platform. With a growing number of users, messaging applications stand to offer aid groups a direct line to the people they aim to serve. Many platforms can also be accessible when other forms of communication are down, for example during a natural disaster or in a conflict zone.
The ICRC report, titled Humanitarian Futures for Messaging Apps, points to this potential, while cautioning humanitarians to consider challenges in user privacy and to understand local dynamics. In partnership with technology and data research group The Engine Room, the ICRC studied the opportunities to incorporate messaging apps into aid efforts and the associated risks and safeguards needed to ensure user protection.
About the author
Christin Roby@robyreports
Christin Roby worked as the West Africa Correspondent for Devex, covering global development trends, health, technology, and policy. Before relocating to West Africa, Christin spent several years working in local newsrooms and earned her master of science in videography and global affairs reporting from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Her informed insight into the region stems from her diverse coverage of more than a dozen African nations.
