Citizen App—hailed as a revolutionary public safety tool and criticized as a fear-spreading tech experiment—owes its existence to an unlikely figure: Andrew Frame. A former teenage hacker with a fascination for UFOs and a brush with the FBI, Frame now helms one of the internet’s most polarising mobile apps, built to alert users of nearby crimes and emergencies in real-time.
A Teenage Hacker’s Wake-Up Call
It was 1997. Seventeen-year-old Frame was jolted awake in his Las Vegas apartment by FBI agents with weapons drawn. While initially confused, he would soon learn the raid was linked to his adolescent hacking escapades—specifically, his unauthorized access to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at age 15. What seemed like teenage curiosity ended with a plea deal, community service, and a commitment to bolster NASA’s security.
From Probation to Tech Powerhouse
Fast forward more than two decades, and Andrew Frame, now 42, leads Citizen App—dubbed by some as the “Bat Cave in your pocket.” Available on iOS and Android, the app relays real-time 911 information to its 5 million active users and encourages them to upload videos of ongoing events. A $19.99/month version, Protect, offers users remote emergency assistance from trained digital bodyguards.
Frame maintains his early run-in with law enforcement was a turning point. Since then, he says, his focus has been on Citizen’s lofty mission:
“Protect the world.”
Divided Opinions: Safety Tool or Panic Engine?
Despite endorsements from investors and ex-LAPD chief William Bratton, the public remains split. Critics argue the app amplifies fear in already-fractured communities. Comparisons to Google’s abandoned slogan—“Don’t be evil”—feel all too apt. Frame, however, disagrees:
“We’ve never thought or talked about scaring people…There are two things that scare people: one is knowing exactly what’s going on, and the other is not knowing what’s going on.”
Yet safety and fear often walk hand-in-hand. Steven Richard Bishop of University College London explains that fear is driven more by perception than crime stats.
“Reports of crime change this perception,” he says.
A Watchful Eye in the Digital Age
On a Zoom call from his Los Angeles residence—complete with a serene Japanese mountain backdrop—Frame exudes calm control. He appears younger than his age, is single, and lives a tech entrepreneur’s life: early workouts, virtual teams, and a clear sense of mission. Citizen currently has no physical HQ; its 170 employees have worked remotely since March 2020.
The platform has seen exponential growth, now reaching 10 million total users and 1.5 million in Los Angeles alone. Using proprietary software ProtectOS, Citizen analysts broadcast incident alerts based on 911 calls. Users add video footage, vetted before publication, enhancing the app’s reporting power. News-style segments and interviews have started to appear—but Frame insists journalism isn’t the point:
“We focus on safety, but the byproduct of safety is news.”
A Tool for Good or a Vehicle for Vigilantism?
The app’s critics suggest it teeters dangerously close to enabling amateur law enforcement. While Citizen was not directly involved in the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, some note parallels in how individuals, armed with a sense of duty, misidentify threats.
In one glaring misstep, Frame offered a bounty on an innocent man’s head during the Palisades fire.
“FIND THIS FUCK” and
“Let’s GET THIS GUY BEFORE MIDNIGHT HES GOING DOWN,” he wrote on Slack. Despite being cleared by the LAPD, the man’s name was publicly shared on Citizen, a decision that violated the company’s own policies.
Frame later admitted:
“Speed, unfortunately, was optimized over accuracy. So that was an unfortunate situation where the information was wrong. And we’ve since updated our policies.”
Controversy Breeds Attention—and Growth
Controversy followed again when it was reported that a Citizen employee live-streamed the January 6 Capitol riot. Though Frame denied any company involvement, the event resulted in Citizen’s highest-ever engagement numbers, prompting criticism about the company’s motives.
Slack messages from Frame during the Palisades incident revealed his belief that sensationalism drives growth:
“Go after bad guys, signups will skyrocket. Period…We should catch a new bad guy EVERY DAY.”
Profiting from Public Fear?
Oxford’s Rafael Prieto Curiel believes Citizen profits by fuelling user insecurity:
“The more crime that gets reported, the more their platform is successful. Suddenly you have a business that wants to make a profit out of insecurity.”
Frame’s Early Tech Roots
Born in Henderson, Nevada, in 1979, Frame was obsessed with computers. He built an internet service provider at 15, dropped out of school in the 10th grade, and began hacking soon after. NASA was a target born from curiosity. He also printed fake IDs on his Tandy computer—activities he equates to modern teen crypto traders.
At 17, he landed a job at Cisco using one of his forged IDs. After traveling internationally and launching a string of startups—including Ooma—Frame mingled with early tech pioneers like Napster’s Shawn Fanning and even snagged early Facebook shares.
The Birth of Citizen
In 2016, Frame laid out five pillars for his next venture: it had to be mission-based, mobile, consumer-focused, networked, and unique. Inspired by old Radio Shack police scanners, he envisioned a tool that gave everyday people access to emergency information in real-time. The first iteration, Vigilante, was provocative by design—and quickly removed from the Apple Store. Frame rebranded it as Citizen in 2017.
Despite skepticism, the app has proven helpful. One mother located her autistic child through a mass Citizen alert. Emergency services have benefited too.
“I see on Citizen that there’s a person hanging out the window,” recalled SF Fire Department’s Lt. Jonathan Baxter—prompting a faster rescue. A Johns Hopkins study even found that Citizen alerts bring patients to hospitals nearly 13 minutes faster than traditional systems.
What’s Next for Citizen?
Although Frame keeps future plans under wraps, internal leaks hint at an on-demand private security force. A pilot test reportedly took place in L.A., involving firms like Securitas. For now, the only paid feature is Protect, offering 24/7 emergency monitoring via live human agents.
While systems like OnStar have existed for years, Citizen’s appeal lies in its mobile-first, user-driven experience.
Still, the app has no formal ties to law enforcement.
“We’re not the police,” Frame clarifies.
“The police and Citizen have the same goal, which is safety, but we go about it in very different ways.”
The Problem of Private Policing
Experts worry about the implications of a private company managing crime narratives.
“Who decides what gets posted, and why?” asks Curiel. Bishop warns of a system where bias becomes embedded, escalating minor incidents into community-wide tensions.
“Our justice system is based on the idea that we should let 100 guilty people go free rather than convict a single innocent person,” he says.
“Profiling does not take this into account.”
A Legacy in the Making—For Better or Worse
Like many tech disruptors before him, Frame shrugs off the backlash.
“Let’s say, hypothetically—and this is pretty implausible—but let’s say Citizen made the world a safe place, and we went out of business. That would be the most spectacular way to fail.”
