Inspired by the recent protests in Spain that, since March, have demanded economic and electoral system changes, filmmaker Raquel Diniz, 31, created a collaborative map to pinpoint cases of corruption in Brazil, according to Folha de S. Paulo.
Launched May 24, the Corruption Map is hosted on Google Maps and follows the Wikipedia model, wherein anyone can add information. Of course, collaborators need to be careful not to incriminate anyone unjustly with false information, Globo pointed out.
Diniz credited the map to the mobilizing force of the Internet, especially social networks, adding that she hopes the map will help improve Brazilians' little awareness of corruption. “It's an attempt to get people to see the map and to not vote for corrupt (politicians)," she said, as quoted by Folha.
The coordinator of the Movement to Combat Electoral Corruption, Marlon Reis, praised the map, saying it was a useful for freedom of expression.
In February of this year, a similar initiative launched in Panama: My Transparent Panama. This site is an online map created with citizen input on crimes and corruption in the country.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
