CHARLOTTE, N.C. — People across the country have been protesting police brutality for nearly two weeks since the death of George Floyd, and they're getting creative when it comes to organizing their events and tracking law enforcement with their smartphones.
Experts say they've found demonstrators are using a handful of apps to get better organized and prepared as they make their voices heard. Reporters from the website Vox broke down the numbers to find the most popular apps and noticed a significant shift in the last couple of weeks.
First, they found police scanner apps, which you can use to listen in on law enforcement communications, have seen a huge surge of 125% this past weekend. Experts believe protesters are using these apps to track police movement and to stay ahead of any potential roadblocks.
Another app setting download records is Signal, which is an encrypting and messaging app. It basically lets you send messages, share videos or place calls that are encrypted. This means if your phone is stolen, hacked or confiscated by law enforcement, it's hard to uncover those messages.