NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A Chicago-based startup is testing a new approach to gunshot detection technology that transforms smartphones into acoustic sensors, potentially saving lives. The test comes nearly two years after the city ended its contract with SoundThinking. SplitSec, founded in Chicago in 2025, has developed an application that is capable of detecting gunshots using the microphones that are already built into Android phones. The technology has the potential to eliminate the need to install fixed sensors, such as those used by SoundThinking. “As I watched the events around us, one of the things that stood out to me is that every time there is a shooting incident, people don’t realize it and they stand there for several minutes not knowing what happened. So the idea was how can we make people realize sooner?” SplitSec founder and CEO Sri Deivasigamani told Fox News Digital. RACISM FEARS SPARK CITY TO NIX SHOOTING DETECTION TECHNOLOGY DAYS AFTER CRAZY GUNMAN OPENED FIRE ON THE STREETS SplitSec, a Chicago-based company, is testing its app that turns smartphones into gunshot detection devices. (SplitSec)”We focus our thinking on how we can provide personal security to people and how we can make them aware and share that awareness. And we are using technology to help us achieve this, something that we all carry in our pockets every day: smartphones,” Deivasigamani added. The two no-cost tests are taking place in Chicago’s Districts 21 and 42, according to Block Club Chicago, which reported that there are discussions about expanding the tests to Districts 5, 29 and 38. Deivasigamani told Fox News Digital that app users participating in the tests have provided helpful feedback to SplitSec. He said that on some phones the company noticed a high degree of false positives due to sensitive microphones. Another issue users noticed was battery drain, something SplitSec engineers are working on, according to the founder and CEO. “For some users, on July 27 and 28, the app detected gunshots and the user confirmed that they heard gunshots. So, it was an important moment for us,” he said. Although SplitSec was unable to verify the gunshots, according to Deivasigamani, users confirmed that what the app detected were actually gunshots. SplitSec detects gunshot sounds and asks users to confirm if the app actually detected gunshots. (SplitSec)CHICAGO BLOOD SPILLS LEAVES 3 DEAD, 15 SHOT DAYS AFTER MAYOR JOHNSON LAUNCHES NEW OFFICE AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE While the city previously used SoundThinking, which relied on fixed sensors throughout Chicago, SplitSec uses microphones and computing power already built into smartphones. Deivasigamani told Fox News Digital that advances in smartphone technology have made it possible for something like SplitSec to exist. “We, you know, couldn’t do this a few years ago, but today, smartphones are AI-enabled. They have a lot of computing power. So we designed and built an AI model that runs completely on your phone,” he said. “And just like your phone can wake up when you say ‘Hey Siri’ or ‘Hey Google,’ we’ve designed our app to wake up only to gunshot sounds.” Deivasigamani compared SplitSec to Waze, as it does not rely solely on what the phone detects, but also on user confirmation, creating a community-driven network. confirm if there really were shots. If the user confirms that the sound was a gunshot, SplitSec can distribute the alert to people within a one-mile radius. Additionally, if two or more users confirm the same shots, the company can triangulate where the shooter is located, allowing them to help people flee danger. “There have been a lot of shootings where people are running towards the gunshots because, honestly, they don’t know where it’s coming from,” Deivasigamani told Fox News Digital. Chicago is no stranger to gunshot detection technology. The city previously used SoundThinking, formerly known as ShotSpotter, sparking political battles over its cost and effectiveness. In 2024, the city ended its contract with the company, which meant that the Chicago Police Department (CPD) was no longer receiving gunshot alerts from citywide sensors. SplitSec does not currently work with CPD and its alerts are intended for users. However, Deivasigamani said that if the company worked with CPD or Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), it could provide authorities with the same map of anonymously reported gunshots that users see. SplitSec can alert users within a one-mile radius of confirmed gunshots. (SplitSec) CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP The use of residents’ smartphones to detect gunshots has raised some privacy concerns, including questions about whether SplitSec continuously monitors its users. Deivasigamani clarified that the audio analysis is done entirely on the users’ smartphones and the audio clips are only sent to the company if a user reports a false positive. In that case, users are asked about sending the clip to SplitSec, and then it is used to train the model with different sounds to help improve its accuracy. “We really believe that such an application must earn people’s trust and must be built in such a way that it protects privacy,” he said. Rachel Wolf is a media and culture reporter for Fox News Digital.
