Gone Man’s Switch is a simple web application that allows you to create messages that will be delivered by email when you are absent (gone) for a certain period, AKA a dead man’s switch.
It is a free self-hosted alternative to deadmansswitch.net. It doesn’t have as many features, but it does the job.
More info in the GitHub repo: https://github.com/jhonderson/gone-man-switch
I know this is self hosted, but if you go away for a time, your infra will probably stop too, so this makes sense for a service rather than something you host.
I’ve thought about starting a service for this. Have the ability to send messages to different contacts through email, sms, or pre-recorded message.
I even thought about making a physical device that you could press, say every day, and it would send an API call to the service and realize you’re still alive.
Is this something that people would actually consider paying for?
the only issue I can foresee about such a service is how to guarantee privacy. since most of the info to be passed along is likely to be of a sensitive nature