An app that claimed to help rescue refugees has been removed from Apple's App Store after reports that it does not actually work the way it claims.
The app, called I Sea, says it has created a useful approach to rescuing refugees in the Mediterranean Sea. But experts who examined the app say its claims are misleading.
Created by ad agency Grey Digital, the app was widely covered by several media last week. The app, developed in partnership with Malta-based NGO Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAs), aimed to use satellite imagery to allow users to spot boats that may be in distress.
According to the description the application splits the satellite image of the sea into millions of small parcels and assigns each user a unique piece of the sea for monitoring. When you detect a possible migrant boat, you can flag it and report it. This information will be submitted for processing by the competent authorities who will proceed with investigation and rescue.
But developers and other experts, who examined the App, discovered various issues with the claims of I Sea – namely, that the satellite images are not actually live.
The app was removed from the App Store on Monday.
In a statement, the company says the app is in “test mode” and acknowledges that the app does not show live satellite imagery. The company defended its app, saying it was “proud of what it has achieved so far.”
The I Sea App is currently in testing mode. At this moment it uploads and sends images with GPS coordinates and users are able to report an anomaly in their portion of the sea. The reporting function sends a notification each time a user flags something in the sea area they are monitoring.
The company's engineers will continue working to improve the application.
