The cybersecurity industry has traditionally focused on business clients, leaving everyday internet users to protect themselves. Older adults, who may not have grown up with the internet and smartphones, are often the most vulnerable to online threats. ZoraSafe, a startup founded by sisters Catherine Karow and Ellie King Karow, aims to address this problem. Their goal is to create an app that protects older people from scammers and hackers while also teaching them how to stay safe through gamified microlearning.
The app is not yet available, but the founders expect to launch it within a month. It will cost $12.99 per month for individual subscribers, with higher rates for family and group plans.
The first version of the app will include several key features. It will have a mode to scan QR codes for malware or phishing attempts. Users will be able to send suspicious text messages and emails to ZoraSafe for analysis. A sharing feature will also allow users to report known scams, which are then added to a database to help protect the entire user community. The intention is to create a network where one person’s discovery of a scam can immediately protect everyone else.
Future releases will include a feature that allows ZoraSafe to join a suspicious phone call. The company’s AI system would then analyze the call in real time to detect if it is a scam or a deepfake. The company states the app will not listen to or record the calls. Once a threat is identified, the app will start a chat that explains the threat to the user and teaches them how to spot and handle similar situations in the future. The purpose is to build user resilience and awareness for all their online interactions.
The AI engine is designed with privacy in mind, performing 85 percent of its processing directly on the user’s device. The remaining 15 percent processed in the cloud is first sanitized of personal information before it leaves the device.
The founders are also planning to create an NFC sticker that can be incorporated into phone cases. This would allow users to quickly activate the app if they receive a deepfake call or even if they fall and need to alert caregivers. This is one method to work around restrictions on iOS that prevent apps from monitoring activity in other apps. Another method is to include a Share to ZoraSafe option in the iOS menu, letting users send text messages or emails to the company’s systems for review.
Eventually, the sisters plan to expand ZoraSafe to protect children, partner with schools, and launch the app in different languages, starting with Spanish.