South African emergency services app in the province with the most murders exposed the locations of users

• The Gauteng Department of e-Government's e-Panic Button app was using an unsecured database, exposing users' personal details.
• The app was launched to help address the high crime rate in Gauteng, the South African province with the most murders recorded between January and March 2026.
• Aura, the security software platform that managed the backend of the e-Panic Button app, subcontracted with Evolve and is no longer involved with the Gauteng e-Panic Button app.