Women map abuse as expert warns new app could fuel fear
Saturday 3rd October 2026 on 09:45 in
Denmark
Women and minority groups are using a new app to mark where they have experienced harassment, stalking, drugging and other abuse, but an expert warns it could create a misleading impression of the risks. DR reports that the app, Beloud.now, has reached Denmark five months after its launch.
Users can place a pin on a map at the location where they say something uncomfortable or violating happened. More than 2,000 red pins are now visible across Denmark.
One Danish user is 19-year-old Lærke Schou, from the island of Funen. She says a man once put her in a chokehold, but she did not report it to police because she did not feel safe doing so. She now checks the app and says she might take a detour if it shows several reports of drugging or physical violence on a particular street.
Tine Fuglsang, analysis director at the Danish Crime Prevention Council, says the pins may make users feel they face an extremely high risk of experiencing something unpleasant. The council says nightlife is safe for most young people, while acknowledging that some young women feel unsafe walking home or going out alone at night.
Beloud.now was developed in Germany by Lydia Ickler. She told DR that she created it to draw attention to what she sees as a serious, underreported problem. Many incidents, she said, are discussed only privately or not at all, and bringing accounts together can make them more visible.
The app has also faced criticism on social media because users can post anonymously and may add false pins. Ickler acknowledged that the app could be misused and said its security is being improved.
The capital region has the most pins. Anne-Kirstine Kristensen, a deputy chief inspector with Copenhagen Police, urged people to report abuse rather than rely only on the app. Reports help police build a more accurate picture of crime, she said, while recognising that contacting police can feel vulnerable and difficult.
Schou said she believes some app users may fear they will not be believed if they report an incident to police.