Thanks to an anonymous sharing app, a year-old man who allegedly attempted to go through with a 'suicide by cop' plot by speeding at miles per hour and refusing to get out of his car was taken into custody unharmed.
Thanks to a moderator on the Whisper app who was able to gather critical information about Silva's location and his suicidal intentions, neither Silva nor any police were harmed in the chase. Look familiar? The Washington Post reports that by the time he was forced from his vehicle and taken to the hospital for mental evaluation, he had already used the app Whisper to tell users he planned a 'suicide by cop.
The Editor and Chief of the app Neetzan Zimmer says he believes that Whisper app may be the reason the chase ended peacefully. The app is designed to be a place where users can anonymously post their innermost secrets and thoughts, some of which are dark and may express a person's desire to end their life or self-harm. Silva wrote things like, 'I'm going to die today. He also posted a photo of police with a caption that read, 'I have 50 cops around me.
This pic I took just now. True pic of what I see know,' he also posted. In the conversation with the Whisper moderator acquired by Elitedaily. Dark secrets: The Whisper app allows users like Silva to post their innermost and sometimes suicidal desires for other users to comment on and see. Real photo: This image was taken from inside of Silva's vehicle as armed cops stood around him trying to determine if he was dangerous or if he had a weapon.
Despite Whisper's celebration of anonymity, users can flag down comment they find abusive or threatening such in the case of Silva and report it to the app's administrators. In a private conversation with Silva on Whisper, a moderator learned that Silva didn't have a gun nor did he have any other weapon but that he was suicidal. Whisper was able to confirm that Silva was indeed where he said he was and they contacted the police to tell them that Silva was unarmed and that he needed psychiatric care.
