It's late. The walk home is normally nothing. Tonight it doesn't feel that way — and your phone is at the bottom of your bag.
DISCREET. FAST. EVIDENCE THAT HELPS PROTECT.
A tiny wearable safety device being built for moments when you cannot reach your phone — one press, and it starts creating a trusted record.
We're building this before we launch publicly, and we won't pretend it is finished. This page is us asking you to join us — not with hype, but with the truth about where we are and an honest way to help.
Be part of how this gets built.
Add your name and we'll bring you with us — real updates, the moment we go live, and first access when early testing opens further.
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Want to help right now, today? Chip in £1 and you are directly helping the early prototype phase. The aim is to build toward a model where people who can pay help make access easier for people who cannot.
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We would rather tell you the truth than sound finished.
Crowdfunded hardware can lose trust when it promises too much too early. We do not want to do that. Here is exactly where things stand today — not where we wish they stood.
This page is mainly about helping us build the wearable hardware. The wider Peoples Defence Evidence Layer software is being developed separately and explained on our main website.
An early working prototype has already been built to prove the basic capture and activation concept. We are now developing the smaller, more representative hardware required to move toward engineering validation.
The Peoples Defence Evidence Layer, including the Evidence Timeline, exists as working code today — built around capture, alerts, and a cryptographic chain of custody.
We did not start with a render and a guess.
Before a single line of marketing copy, we did the unglamorous work: talking to people this could actually help.
- — Listening first: sitting with real people and confirming this is a problem worth solving, not one we assumed.
- — Testing the idea: checking whether the device direction actually addresses the problem before committing to a final build.
- — Guided prototype trials: putting early hardware in real hands and watching what happened, not just asking what people thought.
Built by one engineer. Started from something personal.
My name is Joseph Atula, and I am the founder of Peoples Defence. As part of the York Science Park incubator, this project did not start from a neat market idea. It came from personal experience, engineering work, and the belief that safety technology should help people create trusted records when they need them most.
We are building a discreet, wearable personal safety device with a small camera and microphone. When activated, the aim is to capture audio/video evidence, preserve the record securely, and support trusted-contact alerts as the system develops.
The goal is a clearer evidence timeline for hard-to-explain, recurring, or contested situations — not a guarantee, but a way to make unsafe moments harder to dismiss. Support the Peoples Defence early prototype phase for just £1. No opinions before safety. To get to know more about me, my background, or to reach out directly with questions and insights, connect with me on LinkedIn.
This is what we are building toward.
A small wearable safety device, designed to be discreet, quick to activate, and practical enough for real life.
- Size36mm target — about the size of a large coat button. Future versions aim to become smaller, lighter, and easier to wear.
- WeightAround 18g target. Light enough to wear without thinking about it.
- EvidenceDesigned to be encrypted and time-stamped as it is captured, not treated casually after the fact.
- ActivationA simple press-first action. No app to open, no menu to find, while something is happening.
V1 is deliberately simple. Here is what that means, and what comes next.
We would rather prove one useful action properly than promise five features too early. Version 1 is built around a single, reliable action. Everything below is either part of the first design, being tested, or planned for later versions once V1 has proven itself.
It only works if people would actually wear it. So it has to fit real life.
Clipped, hung, worn, or tucked into something already carried — built around how people actually dress and move, not the other way around.
Paying for safety should not be the only way to get it.
This is not a finished programme yet, and we will not pretend it is. But the principle matters from the beginning.
We are working toward a model where people who can pay help fund discounted or free access to verification and evidence support for people facing higher risk or financial barriers. We will explain that clearly as it develops, instead of pretending it already exists.
Not “support our journey.” The honest version.
The honest questions.
Q.Is this an always-on surveillance product?
No. The purpose is not constant monitoring. The focus is person-controlled activation when someone feels unsafe. It exists to help the wearer create a trusted record of something done to them — not to watch them.
Q.What happens to the footage?
The system is being designed around secure evidence handling, time-stamped records, and careful data protection. We will not treat sensitive evidence casually.
Q.When will this ship?
We will not publish a delivery date until the next build and testing steps are clearer. That is slower, but more honest — especially for a safety device.
Q.Is the £1 refundable?
Yes. If you want it back, ask and it is returned — no questions, no guilt. The point is support, not pressure.
You should not have to be without a record.
JOIN US. WE WOULD RATHER BUILD THIS WITH PEOPLE THAN FOR THEM.
We are not pretending this is easy or that we do not need help — that is the whole point of this page. If this matters to you, this is how you help today, before we are anywhere near a finished campaign.