After-work check-in
“Home by 9:30 PM. If I miss check-in, message me first. Then call my family.”
A private check-in, not a tracker
Set a time to be back. Your people know what to do if you’re not.
BackBy gives immigrant communities a calm way to plan for a missed check-in—without accounts, live location tracking, or a server-side contact list.
- No account
- No live tracking
- English & Spanish
Home after work
9:30 PM
No action needed
You decide when “late” becomes “check on me.”
The people you already trust decide what happens next.
Made for real routines
A check-in can be simple.
Legal appointment
“Back by 3:00 PM. If I miss check-in, follow my Emergency Only note and call my lawyer.”
If I may encounter ICE
“If I don’t check in tonight, follow the contacts and steps in my Emergency Only note. Check trusted local alerts, call my immigration lawyer, and notify my family.”
How it works
A simple plan for an uncertain moment.
BackBy stays quiet unless a check-in needs attention. You remain in control of the time, the details, and the people you trust.
Set your BackBy time
Choose when you expect to be safe. Add a grace period for normal delays, or choose no grace period. Make it one-time or repeating.
Prepare your people
Backers are people you trust to back you up. An encrypted note can tell them who to contact and what to do.
Check in—or add time
Mark yourself safe or reschedule. If the grace period passes, Backers see Needs Attention and follow your plan.
Calm by default
Backers can see whether to wait or act.
A grace period absorbs normal delays. “Needs Attention” appears only after the time you chose has passed.
- ScheduledNo action needed
- Grace periodGive them time
- Needs AttentionCheck in calmly
Two roles, one rhythm
Make a Plan for yourself. Back someone else.
I’m planning
Keep living your life, with a plan behind you.
Set the time, prepare a private note, and stay in control of checking in or adding time.
I’m a Backer
Back someone up when their Plan needs attention.
Your app checks for updates and may notify you. Follow the person’s prepared instructions if action is needed.
Privacy with boundaries
Less data collected means less data to expose.
BackBy is built so the server does not need to know who you are, who your Backers are, or what your private note says.
Read what BackBy can—and cannot—protect- No identity account
- No sign-up, password, or profile database.
- No contact graph
- The server does not store your address book or list of Backers.
- Encrypted notes
- The production design seals notes on your phone and makes Emergency Only the default. The current demo is not approved for real details.
- No tracking tools
- No cookies, analytics, or sessions. Provider-level no-IP proof is still a release blocker.
What travels through BackBy
Your note stays sealed on its way to a Backer.
- Your phone Encrypts the note
- Sealed note Unreadable ciphertext
- BackBy server Stores it, cannot read it
- Backer’s phone Unlocks locally if needed
Clear limits build trust
BackBy is not a rescue service.
- Not live location trackingA Plan is a time and instructions, not a moving dot on a map.
- Not automatic emergency responseYour Backers—not BackBy—decide whether and how to act.
- Not a messaging networkBacker apps check for updates; the server sends no SMS, email, or push.
Honest about readiness
Useful ideas are not the same as proven protection.
BackBy’s mobile and infrastructure safeguards are still in development. Early access is for testing and community feedback only. Do not use it yet for a real detention risk, emergency, or safety-critical check-in.
Common questions
The short answers.
Does BackBy track my location?
No. The core check-in uses a time, not live location. Optional map sharing is off by default and has a separate third-party privacy warning.
Who gets contacted if I miss a check-in?
BackBy’s server contacts no one. Backer apps check for changes and may notify locally. The people you already chose decide what to do next.
Can BackBy read my note?
The production design keeps note plaintext off the server and releases a key only for an allowed state. Do not put real private details in the current demo.
Can I depend on BackBy today?
Not yet. The project is in development, and the public safety-readiness checklist is not complete. Early access is for testing only.
Who is BackBy for?
BackBy is focused on immigrant communities and people of color at risk of detention or disappearance during ICE enforcement. The core idea remains simple: a check-in time and a calm plan.
What happens when I check in?
The production design marks the Plan Completed. A normal completion releases no usable Emergency Only note key unless details were already disclosed in an earlier attention state.
What happens if I don’t check in?
The production design appends Needs Attention after the effective time and Grace Period. Only then can the state response release the Emergency Only attention capsule.
Help us test carefully
Build a calmer safety practice with us.
Request development access, share the idea with someone you trust, or tell us what your community needs. No mailing-list form and no tracking pixels—just email.