If you have spent any time online interacting with new people, you know it can be a questionable experience. Is the person you are talking to the person they claim, or are they possibly a St. Bernard that got ahold of a phone? There is absolutely no great way to tell. That question becomes even more important when you are considering inviting the person into your life, either as a date, a client, a housekeeper, babysitter, or more. That is where SafetyPIN Technologies comes in.
Their platform allows a person to generate a third-party verified account that shows that they are likely a safe person. Think of it like a background check that you perform on yourself, but you only share a verified status with others. The recipient does not get to see the results of the check, they only get to see that you have a verified SafetyPIN. This idea creates an environment of protection for both individuals: the sender's privacy is protected and the recipient's safety is protected.
So, how does it work? Let's say you want to be a house sitter, and you sign up on an online platform for people looking for house sitters. Before you do, you go get a SafetyPIN. The company will ask some questions about you to be able to do research. This will include SSN for a background check, as well as personality-type questions to look for problems. Once the process is done, if you are deemed to not have major red flags, you will receive a personal identification number (PIN), that you can share with prospective clients of your house sitting business. If red flags are found, you will not receive a PIN.
SafetyPIN is already supported by some big-name services, like LinkedIn, Bumble, HomeAway, and Nextdoor, and the company plans to expand their partnership network over time. You do not need to be on a supported platform to request a PIN from someone else, though, as you can verify right on the company's website.
Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.
Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.