Hi-tech hired muscle: Chinese firm launches rent-a-bodyguard app
Minders can be used for everything from delivering parcels to providing first aid, program’s developer says
A security firm in eastern China is planning to launch an app that will make hiring a personal bodyguard as easy as ordering a taxi, according to mainland media.
Developed by Aladdin Security Co, the Jinyiwei service will from next month provide people in Qingdao, Shandong province, with access to more than 50,000 guards from 47 firms, Qingdao News reported least week.
Jinyiwei translates as “Embroidered Uniform Guard”, which was the name given to the imperial secret police during the Ming dynasty.
The product’s creator Li Shangshang was quoted as saying that the bodyguards could be put to a range of uses, including accompanying the delivery of sensitive items, meeting important clients, or even as emergency first-aiders.
For people being harassed, the app would also provide an alternative to calling the police, the report said.