Bribespot – helping to put a ‘face’ to corruption

Bribery is pretty much a rampant, worldwide thing, and it happens in many facets of life. We can all do without it, for sure, but one way or another most of us have had to partake in it as the giver. Not correct, nor ethical, but sometimes it’s easier to take flight than fight, with a little help from some De La Rues.

Most cases go unreported, of course – it takes a significant effort to expose such activity, and the trouble one has to go to usually means the idea is a non-starter in the mind. Well, here’s a way where you can go about it, quietly and in a faceless manner.

It’s called Bribespot, an app currently available on the internet and to Android phone users (an iPhone version is on the cards) that gives users a chance to anonymously report bribes. It’s new, just about a month old, so there’s little on-ground data yet, but you can expect things to heat up as it goes on.

The application was developed by a team of people from Estonia, Finland, Lithuania and Iran, and was launched at the Garage48 startup competition in Tallinn, Estonia last month.

On a phone, the Bribespot app automatically gets your location and visualises bribes requested/paid around you. You can use Bribespot to report a bribe – just ensure the app has the right location, indicate the bribe size and choose the category. You can also add the story behind it using comment box. The report, the people behind the program say, is completely anonymous.

A ‘bribe stream’ is also available, so you can get more detailed information about bribes, view specific locations and the size of the bribe paid. In all, it probably won’t change things too much – bribes will continue to be given and taken, but at least now you can see where and when it happens. You can also imagine that a great deal many reports from hereabouts will be for traffic offences!

© 2011 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 18 May 11 06:05:56 +0000.

Related posts:

1. Corruption in the car industry
2. Nano target market may face difficulty with loans
3. Toyota lending a helping hand to HRT Formula 1 team?
4. Ssangyong may face liquidation without aid!

Link to full article