7 million people have signed up for Citizen since its launch in 2017. In January, Citizen raised $73 million in funding, with Greycroft as a new investor.
The Citizen app, which sends users location-based safety alerts in real time, appeals to cautious city residents and aspiring hometown heroes. It allows users to read updates about ongoing reports, broadcast live videos from crime scenes and accidents, and leave comments and emoji reactions. During the pandemic, Citizen introduced an in-app contract tracing tool and a feature that lets users create their own incident alerts. And now, with its fresh round of funding, it wants to track helicopters.
The company has a team reviewing 911 communications 24/7. For the recently announced helicopter tracking feature, they’ll begin reviewing data about police helicopters, as well. According to the Verge, the team will include a “related incident” for a helicopter spotting to better explain the situation.
But Citizen doesn’t just want to be the go-to source for local crime and safety and helicopter news, it wants to be a full-fledged social media network. Last March, it launched activity notifications, private messaging, and the ability to add friends.
Citizen’s expanding array of features, plus the shared anxiety and uncertainty of the past year, has caused surging user engagement. From March to April 2020, Citizen’s App Store Ratings count climbed 34%. Since last April, its ratings count has soared by 212%, with 148,000 ratings at the time of writing.
It’s worth pointing out that the app listing read, “Citizen - Protect the World,” until late April 2020, when the slogan changed to “Connect and Stay Safe.”
Last June, when protests broke out across the country following the police killing of George Floyd, Citizen became a tool for protestors, activists, and organizers. They used the app to monitor protest developments, police responses, and curfews. Users could see a map of where people were protesting, watch live videos, and make plans in the comments section. Citizen’s Facebook ‘Talking About’ count peaked on June 5 at 1,920 mentions.
In December, Citizen’s web traffic peaked at an average of 1 million weekly pageviews. June saw its second highest trafficking week.
Activity has been relatively quiet in recent months, but Citizen’s expansion is just beginning.
About the Data:
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