Accountability goes online with KaroKuch
KaroKuch aims to provide a platform for people who want to report against corruption issues easily and anonymously.
University of Engineering and Technology students have launched an anonymous SMS-based bribery watch system named KaroKuch.
The system aims to provide a platform for people who want to report against corruption issues easily and anonymously from their cell phones.
KaroKuch, which is only live in Lahore at the moment, calculates the total number of bribes and the amount taken from different areas of the city and displays it online.
Using KaroKuch
In order to report a bribe they had been forced to pay, users can send a text message to 0336-4239229 in the following format:
Location (your text) amount (insert text) message (insert department).
Example: “loc model town amt 500 msg Paid bribe to the tax department.”
What happens next
The KaroKuch team compiles all the data received from texts on reported bribes and displays it on the website for the public to see and analyze.
The project might be expanded to other cities in the future if it gets a positive response. The data could later be used to hold the institutions responsible for corruption.
Reliability of the data
The anonymity of reports put forth the question of authenticity as any individual or institution, if held accountable, might defend the charges by saying that they are bogus. Hence, the website is still in a test mode.
Future of KaroKuch
The project is intended to benefit the community, but does not have any sponsors to support it monetarily.
A version of this post originally appeared on ProPakistani.
The system aims to provide a platform for people who want to report against corruption issues easily and anonymously from their cell phones.
KaroKuch, which is only live in Lahore at the moment, calculates the total number of bribes and the amount taken from different areas of the city and displays it online.
Using KaroKuch
In order to report a bribe they had been forced to pay, users can send a text message to 0336-4239229 in the following format:
Location (your text) amount (insert text) message (insert department).
Example: “loc model town amt 500 msg Paid bribe to the tax department.”
What happens next
The KaroKuch team compiles all the data received from texts on reported bribes and displays it on the website for the public to see and analyze.
The project might be expanded to other cities in the future if it gets a positive response. The data could later be used to hold the institutions responsible for corruption.
Reliability of the data
The anonymity of reports put forth the question of authenticity as any individual or institution, if held accountable, might defend the charges by saying that they are bogus. Hence, the website is still in a test mode.
Future of KaroKuch
The project is intended to benefit the community, but does not have any sponsors to support it monetarily.
A version of this post originally appeared on ProPakistani.