Stories from Technology for Transparency Network
Technology for Transparency: Final Report
The Technology for Transparency Network is proud to announce the release of its final report, "Global mapping of technology for transparency and accountability". The report is being published by the Transparency and Accountability Initiative (@TAInitiative) along with a over a dozen other reports on the global transparency movement.
Syria: Implementing Ushahidi to track protests
Syrian Revolution Map is a new Ushahidi instance launched in Syria to track ongoing protests in several cities based on citizen reports of protests, security patrols, dangerous locations, clashes, and anticipated gatherings. Six protesters have reportedly been killed in Daraa, and dozens have been arrested. The website is in Arabic...
Argentina: Hackathons and Budget Transparency in Bahía Blanca
As we have witnessed in the last month, there are moments in civic life that drive citizens to change and challenge institutions, to create solutions and to express their concerns about things that matter. In a short interview with Renata Avila for the Technology for Transparency Network, Manuel Aristarian, an...
Ukraine: YouTube Helps Discipline Traffic Police
Tetyana Bohdanova reports on how Ukrainians are using the Internet to expose unlawful actions committed by traffic police.
Cablegate: Lessons on tech for transparency
Wikileaks' release of over 250,000 United States embassy cables is one of the hottest subjects in media and government right now. Renata Avila looks at what Cablegate can teach us about technology for transparency.
Collaboration against Corruption: Upcoming Events
Four different technology for transparency-related initiatives will take place around the globe in the next month. Renata Avila provides a round up.
Technology for Transparency: Five New Cases, With More to Come!
The Technology for Transparency Network is thrilled to announce the start of the publication of our second phase of research. Beginning with five cases — Accountability Initiative in India, Amatora mu mahoro in Burundi, Democrator.ru in Russia, Excelências in Brazil, and Mam Prawo Wiedzieć in Poland — we will be...
Technology for Transparency: Government Accountability in India
As the Technology for Transparency Network has mapped different transparency projects around the world, we have been excited to discover how enthusiasm for a more ethical and transparent society is flourishing everywhere. A protagonist of these changes is India, the largest, most diverse democracy in the world.
Benin: Text Messages to Help Protect Children Against Violence: Lessons Learned
The Violence Against Children (VAC) project is an initiative co-implemented by PLAN and Save the Children in West Africa and takes place over 4 years in seven countries. The project explored the idea of setting up a text message based system that will collect and map out reports of violence against children. The following is a discussion about the impact and lessons learned on the implementation so far.
Russia: Landscape and Trends of Online Transparency Initiatives
Alexey Sidorenko analyzes the five main groups of the Russian transparency projects: official and semi-official transparency websites; chaotic transparency communities; online representation of civil activism NGOs; next-generation transparency and civil rights activism social networks; and Ushahidi-based projects.
Bangladesh: Digitizing Land Records to Combat Corruption
There is a lot of hope riding on the effective use of ICT in the Land Management System of Bangladesh to usher in modernization, user-friendliness, transparency and accountability in this very important sector. Aparna Ray explains.
I Paid A Bribe: An Endeavor in India
“Bribed? Didn't bribe? Powerless? Victimised? Angry?" I Paid a Bribe is encouraging citizens in India to tell their stories of bribery and corruption and is using these stories to identify the most corrupt departments and processes in the country.
Brazil: A guide to tech for transparency projects in the 2010 elections
Brazil is awash in online technology for transparency and accountability projects in the run-up to its October 2010 presidential elections. Manuella Ribeiro gives us a tour through some of the best.
Brazil: “Do It Yourself” Clean Elections
In less than one month there will be elections in Brazil and Eleitor 2010 has already became a game-changer: it is a "crowdsourcing" project aiming to facilitate citizen reports of abuses of the electoral process. Through the platform, some entertaining anecdotes have already come to light.
India: Are e-Governance initiatives delivering on transparency and accountability?
In India, government agencies are embracing social media and other information and communication technology (ICT) platforms to engage citizens, optimize service delivery and reassure the public with respect to the government's transparency and accountability. But what has been the true impact of these initiatives?
Egypt: Utilizing Technology to Demand Accountability on Torture, Police Brutality
Bloggers and activists in Egypt are using freely available online tools to expose torture and police brutality and to hold the government accountable for these human rights abuses.
Western Europe: A journey through tech for transparency projects
Sylwia Presley takes us on a tour of technology for transparency projects in Western Europe.
Technology for Transparency: Five Lessons Learned
Rebekah Heacock and Renata Avila outline the learnings from the first round of Global Voices' Technology for Transparency Network collaborative research project, sharing links to several successful online initiatives.
Russia: LiveJournal Communities as a Transparency Tool
Alexey Sidorenko explores how LiveJournal communities are being used to promote transparency and accountability in Russia.
Madagascar: The Undercover Investigations That Exposed Rosewood Trafficking from the Rain Forest
One of the consequences of the enduring political crisis in Madagascar is its punishing impact on the environment. The investigation of activists specialized in conservation and protection of the environment was instrumental in documenting the crimes and holding the government accountable for protecting Malagasy natural resources. Here are there reflections on the initiatives:
Tech and Transparency in MENA: A Long Way to Go
Technology for transparency activists are making headway in the Middle East and North Africa, but greater access to both technology tools and skills and legal assistance is needed in order to maximize their potential.
