Witness Vault
Open Witness Vault
Frequently asked questions
Clear answers about recording evidence, reporting crimes safely, and how Witness Vault works. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is a dead man's switch, and how does it work in Witness Vault?
A dead man's switch is something that acts on its own if a person stops responding: on trains it stops the engine if the driver lets go; online it releases information if you stop checking in. Witness Vault's dead man's switch lets you choose recordings from your vault, up to five email addresses, a message and an optional video. You check in every 1, 3, 7, 14 or 30 days with your vault code. If you miss a deadline, each person gets a private link to the evidence. Until then everything is time-locked: nobody can open it, not even us. It is an add-on to Witness or Witness Pro for $5 a month.
How can I report a crime anonymously?
In an emergency, call your local emergency number first. Many countries also have anonymous tip lines, such as Crime Stoppers. With Witness Vault you can record and keep evidence without giving a name, email or phone number: it is encrypted, timestamped, and you decide if and when to share it with journalists, investigators or a lawyer. We keep no account and no IP address logs, so we could not tell anyone who you are.
What should I do after a hit and run, and how do I report it?
First get to safety and call the emergency number if anyone is hurt. Then record what you can while it is fresh: the car, its number plate, the direction it went, the scene, damage and injuries, and anyone who saw it. Report it to the police as soon as possible: many places have a legal deadline. Tap Record now in Witness Vault to film the scene; every piece is sealed with a timestamp, and with Add my location the place is recorded too. Other witnesses can add their own recordings to the same event.
How can I prove harassment, including at work?
Harassment is easier to prove when you can show it kept happening. Keep each incident: what happened, when, where and who was there, plus messages, emails, photos or recordings. Witness Vault keeps all of it in one encrypted vault, each item with a fingerprint and a Bitcoin timestamp proving when it existed. Report it through your employer's procedure, a union, the police or a lawyer, depending on the situation. Rules on recording other people's conversations differ between countries, so check them before recording audio.
Can I record the police? Is it legal?
In many countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, filming police officers doing their job in a public place is generally legal, as long as you do not get in their way. Some countries restrict it, and rules on recording private conversations differ. Stay calm, keep a safe distance and do not interfere. Witness Vault sends every few seconds of your recording off your phone, so it is kept even if your phone is taken. This is general information, not legal advice.
How do I report police misconduct or an unlawful stop and search?
Write down what happened as soon as you can: time, place, officers' names or numbers, and witnesses. Keep any recordings and photos. Then file a complaint with the police force's complaints department or the independent police complaints body in your country, or ask a lawyer or a rights organisation for help. Witness Vault keeps your recordings encrypted with proof of when they were made, and you can share them with a lawyer or journalist you choose.
Is Witness Vault a personal safety app?
It works like one when you need it. Record and alert is a panic button: one tap starts recording and, at the same moment, sends an email to up to three people you chose, with your message, a map link and a link to follow your location live. You set the addresses up in advance, and they stay on your phone. Recording continues while the alert goes out.
How do I share my live location in an emergency?
If you turn on location for Record and alert, the people you alert get a link to follow your location live, updated as you move. Your positions are encrypted on your phone, so only people with the link can see them, and sharing continues until you tap Stop sharing. It works while Witness Vault is open; for sharing that keeps going with the phone locked, also turn on your phone's own location sharing (Google Maps, Find My or WhatsApp).
Is it really anonymous? Do I need a name or email?
No name, no email, no phone number and no account. You get codes that only you know. A subscription is an anonymous key that is never linked to your evidence, and we keep no IP address logs, no cookies and no trackers. Payments in crypto are public on the blockchain, and paying by card goes through a company that may check your identity, so choose the payment method that is safe for you.
What happens to my video if my phone is taken or destroyed?
With Record now, your video is encrypted and sent in small pieces every few seconds. Everything already sent stays safe even if the phone is taken, switched off or destroyed; the recording is closed automatically about 10 minutes later. To open it from another device you need your codes or your vault code, so write them on paper or email them to yourself, locked with a password.
How does a Bitcoin timestamp prove my evidence was not edited?
Each file gets a fingerprint: a short code that changes completely if even one pixel of the file changes. That fingerprint is anchored in the Bitcoin blockchain, which cannot be rewritten. Anyone can later check that the file existed at that moment and has not been changed since. It proves when the file existed and that it is untouched, not that what it shows is true: that is for investigators and courts to judge.
Is video evidence accepted in court?
Courts decide case by case, and the rules differ between countries. What usually helps: the original file, proof of when it was made and that it was not altered, details such as place and time, several independent witnesses, and a clear account of what happened. Witness Vault provides fingerprints, Bitcoin timestamps and corroboration by other witnesses, but it cannot guarantee that a court will accept the evidence. A lawyer can advise you.
Who can see my evidence?
Only you, with your codes, and the people you choose: journalists, investigators or a lawyer, the recipients of your dead man's switch, and the people you alert if you include your codes. We cannot read your evidence: it is encrypted and we hold no key that opens it. The public live ledger shows only counts, categories and dates, never content, names or places, and each new file appears there only 30 to 90 minutes later.
How much does it cost, and what is Emergency Free?
Emergency Free lets anyone make one recording at no cost (up to 100 MB, kept 30 days). There is also a 7-day free trial. Witness costs $10 a month (5 GB, files kept a year) and Witness Pro $15 a month (20 GB, three years). The dead man's switch is $5 a month on top of a plan. Journalists and investigators pay $19 or $49 a month. You can pay in crypto or by card.
Why is my free recording locked?
What you record on Emergency Free or during the free trial is kept safe, but it can be opened or downloaded only with Witness or Witness Pro. Once someone with a paid plan opens it with its codes, it is unlocked for good, also for the people it was shared with, and kept for that plan's period. Free recordings that are not unlocked are deleted after 30 days. You agree to this once, before your first free recording.
How do I pay with crypto?
Plans are paid with ETH or SOL, or USDC or USDT on Ethereum or Solana, from a wallet you control. If you have no crypto, the payment window can sell you some by card. Our step-by-step guide explains how to get a wallet, buy crypto and pay, and which networks to use.
I'm a journalist or investigator. How do I receive evidence from sources?
Get a private drop box: a link you give your sources, where what they send is encrypted so only your team can open it, without them giving a name. List yourself in the directory so witnesses can choose you, and open evidence shared with you in the investigator portal, with fingerprints, Bitcoin timestamps and corroboration between witnesses. Plans cost $19 or $49 a month, with a 15-day free trial.
What if I lose my codes?
Nobody can recover them, not even us: that is what keeps your evidence private. Write your vault ID and vault code on paper and keep them somewhere safe, or email them to yourself, locked with a password you will remember.