The crime-tracking app Citizen sent staff to the capitol riot for clicks—and that’s just the start

[View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter]( October 15, 2021 Hey, I’m Lil Kalish, a Mother Jones fellow in the San Francisco office. During my fellowship, I’ve become obsessed with the role technology plays in our lives, whether that's how Silicon Valley investors are [influencing]( California politics or how venture capital is [changing the way]( trans folks access health care. Recently, I’ve had a laser focus on Citizen, a “personal safety” app that sends out alerts to users about reports of crimes based on their location. The company came under scrutiny earlier this year when a fire broke out in Los Angeles and the app's CEO placed a $30,000 bounty on the head of a suspected arsonist—leading to the temporary detention of an innocent man. That was only the beginning. Over the last few months I’ve been in touch with former employees of the company who have leaked dozens of documents showing that Citizen routinely prioritized clicks and profit over the accuracy of its alerts. Citizen even sent an employee, disguised as a rioter, to film the Capitol insurrection on January 6—with no protections and no safety protocol—while the company’s managers gleefully watched the app’s traffic soar. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The documents, text exchanges, and internal reports I obtained paint a picture of a company in peril: an unpredictable CEO, union busting, drinking and cannabis use on the job, and, above all, hundreds of inaccuracies in the locations and descriptions of alerts sent out to millions of Citizen users every day. As one former employee told me, “We felt like we were in the Trump White House...just witnessing crazy shit.” You can read more about the company’s troubling practices and culture [here](. I hope you enjoy! —Lil Kalish Advertisement [Kauffman Foundation]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [The Crime-Tracking App Citizen Sent Staff to the Capitol Riot for Clicks—and That’s Just the Start]( Leakers at the controversial firm described "horrible working conditions" and error-riddled reports. BY LIL KALISH SPONSORED POST [Sponsored Content]( [Achieving Climate Justice for 500 Million Family Farms Worldwide]( Why Fairtrade organizations and farmers say global leaders need to step up and how you can help. THIS CONTENT WAS PAID FOR AND SPONSORED BY [FAIRTRADE AMERICA](. [Trending] [The stories of what people need to do for an abortion under Texas' ban are insane]( BY LIL KALISH [What does it mean to call someone a "male chauvinist pig"?]( BY JULIE WILLETT [Who keeps us safe?]( BY MADISON PAULY [New details of armed Trump extremists continue to emerge in January 6 cases]( BY MARK FOLLMAN AND DAN FRIEDMAN Advertisement [Kauffman Foundation]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Don’t Expect Any Justice for Haitians Who Were Abused at the Border]( “They’re deporting evidence right in front of our eyes. We saw 15,000 people under a bridge, and today we see no one.” BY FERNANDA ECHAVARRI [Get More From David Corn] This Land by David Corn is a new newsletter that's unlike anything else in your inbox. Read why we think [Mother Jones Daily readers will love it](, or just sign up to start getting it with the next issue. [Sign Up]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755