In Brief: Independent Website Allows Netizens to Report Corruption
Check it out while you can, because I can’t imagine this is going to last long. “He took bribes” is a new, apparently independent website that allows users in China to report instances of bribery, corruption, and other official malfeasance.
The site is apparently based on a similar Indian site. On it, net users can report instances of corruption and search for reports of corruption by location. According to the site’s own description:
“‘He Took Bribes’ is a non-profit public interest site that opposes corruption and greed and provides users with a convenient platform for reporting cases. We will examine and verify reports that are submitted, weed out malicious and random reports, and then with other cases, in accordance with local procedures, we will submit them to local prosecutors in the most direct fashion possible. After local prosecution organs have confirmed the information, we will publicly publish the details of the story and the result of the report [on the site].”
This comes in the wake of several similar sites constructed by the government. I can recall at least two official government sites of this type, but both of them crashed almost immediately following their launch because they received far more traffic than the government was expecting and their servers simply couldn’t handle it.
I can’t imagine an independent site like this could last long. It’s designed far better than either of the official sites, and it’s gotten over 2 million hits already (it has only been online for a few days). Reportedly, it’s not currently blocked in China, but how long could an independent site like this last? Corruption, I suspect, is too explosive an issue for the the government to allow any kind of reporting mechanism that they can’t control.
Still, only time will tell. I’ll be keeping a close eye on this site, and will update when I can provide more detail. I’ve also reached out to the site’s creator for comment and will update if I can get a response.
Given the shelf life for projects like the above, I would vote for this bridespot phone application.
http://www.epress.am/en/2011/06/06/report-your-bribes-via-smartphone-app-first-2-incidents-in-armenia-already-on-the-map.html
Bribespot phone application
We will examine and verify reports that are submitted, weed out malicious and random reports
The reports would be sent by e-mail, and then verified independently, before being published?
so they say, yes
[...] of ChinaGeeks is less optimistic. He dug up another anti-corruption website - HE Took Bribes (他受贿了) on Sunday and recommended to “check it out while you can, because I can’t imagine this is going to [...]
[...] Custer from China Geeks introduces an independent website, He Took Bribes, for netizens to report on corruption. [...]
[...] Custer from China Geeks introduces an independent website, He Took Bribes[zh], for netizens to report on [...]