Have you ever stumbled back to your dorm drunk, with one shoe on, both socks missing, someone’s hat on your head, and marker covering your face? Have you ever witnessed a drunk and sloppy friend embark on his homeward adventure, concerned, and eager to call him later to ensure he arrived safely? Do you have that one girlfriend who simply doesn't understand her limits, routinely drinking to excess every weekend (convinced she can keep up with the “bros”), and that you have to care for on both Friday and Saturday nights (forget “thirsty Thursdays”)? Firstly, if you answered “no” to any of these questions, quit lying and be honest with yourself. Secondly, pay attention, there’s a new service that will monitor your friends so that you can have some freedom.

Kitestring is a new service designed to alert your “in case of emergency” contacts if there appears to be a disturbance while you travel (i.e. your drunken ventures led you to sleep in a comfortable bush). After pre-determined times, the service alerts your contacts with a distress message if you fail to check in with Kitestring’s servers, letting them know that you might be in trouble (or facedown in a bush). Kitestring also includes special features, such as security codes and questions, to help verify the identity of the user.

Unlike its competitors, Kitestring relies solely on SMS messaging, instead of data transmissions, to protect you. This makes the service more widely accessible, and provides non-smartphone users access to Kitestring. Additionally, it responds to shorter periods of user inaction, instead of longer periods of user interaction. This is beneficial for consumers because they will most likely be unable to use their phones during times of distress. Lastly, Kitestring is completely free, which makes it widely available.

Whether you’re walking home from a party, or simply unsettled by your surroundings, Kitestring aims to alleviate your fear by providing you protection. The service allows users to travel with a clear mind, knowing that emergency services are but a missed message away.