Independent File
An encrypted, chain-of-custody case tracker for service members reporting sexual misconduct, designed to be stored outside their command's network and accepted by civilian legal aid.
active-duty service members preparing a sexual-misconduct report or claim outside their chain of command
- End-to-end encrypted vault for incident notes, photos, and messages with a tamper-evident timestamp log
- Anonymous intake that captures small incidents over weeks before a survivor decides to escalate
- Direct referral pipeline to vetted civilian military-justice attorneys and survivor advocates
- One-click redaction of military identifiers so survivors can safely share with journalists or MPs
The Officer X files show that even when military police find enough evidence, the decision to charge can be left to a commanding officer with personal ties to the alleged assailant, leaving survivors to build their cases independently.
DOD reports ~20,000+ service members experience sexual assault annually with very low formal reporting rates, and Officer X/recent NDAA reforms have sustained media attention — but the addressable market of active-duty survivors willing to use an independent app is small.Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) ↗DoD Safe Helpline ↗
Project Callisto is a near-exact analog (encrypted timestamped Vault + serial-perpetrator matching) already built for campus survivors and could plausibly extend to military; DoD Safe Helpline exists as official crisis support. The military-specific encrypted case-file niche is not actively served, but the technology is proven elsewhere.Callisto - Ending serial sexual assault...one match at a time ↗
Virtually all comparable services (DoD Safe Helpline, Callisto, Canadian DND Independent Legal Assistance) are free to survivors and funded by government or donations; survivors are typically low-income and unlikely to pay subscription fees — direct B2C monetization looks very weak.DoD Safe Helpline Mobile App (RAINN) ↗DND launches free, independent legal aid service for victims of sexual misconduct ↗
Military sexual misconduct has been a sustained reform issue for years (FY22 NDAA changes, Officer X, ongoing IG/DODIG scrutiny), giving multi-year policy tailwind, but the space is highly dependent on political appetite and administration priorities.DODIG DoD Hotline ↗
Encrypted storage, timestamping, and chain-of-custody metadata are technically straightforward, but legal admissibility of self-collected digital evidence in military courts-martial and integration with civilian legal aid workflows adds material legal and trust risk.SAKI Toolkit - Evidence tracking systems ↗