Questions

Is DashStar live?

No. DashStar is a research prototype for James Isaac Kay's M.S. thesis. There is no live network, no real-world match has happened, and accuracy has not been measured yet.

Who reviews matches?

During the pilot, James Isaac Kay, founder of MOAT Safety, will review every match at the MOAT Safety desk before anyone is contacted. Vetted volunteer reviewers may assist, but they see only the cropped image, never the location or call details. See volunteer review.

Does DashStar know where I drive?

No. DashStar keeps no location trail. Only a match carries a location: as designed, every match event includes the location and time of the sighting, because a sighting is useless without them. They go to the authorities only after the MOAT Safety desk confirms the match. Nothing else ever carries a location, and drivers acknowledge this when they opt in. See privacy.

What leaves my car when there is a match?

As designed, the device sends a cropped image, plus the location and time of the sighting. The crop shows the vehicle and its plate by default, or just the plate when the vehicle crop is too large or the vehicle is not fully in frame. Other vehicles' plates and bystanders' faces in the crop are blurred on the device before it is sent. No video leaves the device.

The location and time go to the authorities only after the MOAT Safety desk confirms the match. Volunteer reviewers see the cropped image only, never the location or call details. For a plate that matches nothing, nothing leaves the car.

Which alerts does DashStar check?

Only official public alerts that include a vehicle or a plate: AMBER, Silver, Endangered Missing and similar alerts. That also covers stolen-vehicle alerts, and suspect alerts such as Blue and Yellow alerts, in the states that issue them. The full list for each state will be published after it has been verified.

Whatever the alert, drivers never follow or engage, ever.

Does it track police?

No. DashStar never maps or tracks police vehicles. The only vehicles it is designed to report are ones that match an official public alert, and only after a person confirms the match.

Does it sell data?

Never.

Who runs it?

MOAT Safety, a Texas sole-proprietorship DBA of James Isaac Kay.

Will it ask me to follow a car?

Never. Drivers never follow or engage, whatever the alert. By default, the driver hears only "do not follow". Drivers who opt in can also see match notifications, marked unconfirmed, with the number to call. A person reviews every match before anyone is contacted.

What happens to plates that match nothing?

By design, they are thrown away on the device within seconds. They are not saved and not sent. See privacy.

Can someone ask DashStar to look for a car?

No. DashStar only uses official public alerts. It never takes private watch-lists or requests to look for a particular plate.

Who gets called after a match?

No one is called until the MOAT Safety desk confirms the match. Then the desk calls the non-emergency number for the alert's area, or the hotline named in the alert, and passes on the location and time of the sighting.

Is DashStar part of the AMBER Alert program?

No. DashStar is not affiliated with, approved by, or endorsed by any law-enforcement agency, the AMBER Alert program, or any alert-issuing agency.

What does it cost?

DashStar Network is free. See support and costs for how it is funded and what it costs to run.

How can I help?

Read about volunteer review and tell us you are interested. Sign-up is not open yet.