Corruption is a major challenge for governments, companies, and societies all around the world. It is an expensive criminal and cultural practice. According to the UN, an estimated one trillion dollars are paid in bribes annually, while another 2.6 trillion are lost in corrupt activities globally. However, the cost of corruption is not merely economic; it damages democracy, the rule of law, and institutions. Corruption erodes public trust, impedes investment, has environmental consequences, and even puts people’s lives at risk. As if that was not enough, this issue has a disproportionate impact on the poor and most vulnerable, who pay the highest percentage of their income in bribes, increasing costs and reducing access to services, including health, education and justice, which further exacerbates inequality, poverty, and social division.

According to Transparency International corruption can take many forms such as conflict of interest, beneficial ownership secrecy, nepotism, extortion, etc. It can happen anywhere, in business, governments, courts, in the media and in civil society, and can involve anyone across different industry sectors (health, sports, education, infrastructure, etc.). Corruption is by nature surrounded by secrecy. For better or worse, usually, exceptional situations such as natural disasters, accidents and even a pandemic are the triggers that expose the cracks in the systems as well as the mechanisms that have enabled corrupt practices. 

The implementation of artificial intelligence and automation technologies as well as Big Data analysis are increasingly being used and explored by governments, private sector and civil society in an effort to reduce and eliminate this practice. Open data has become an important tool against corruption and fraud, and the establishment of international standards and partnerships have boosted the use of technology to support the fight against corruption. AI and machine learning tools now more than ever offer an opportunity to find insights and anomalies within big and open datasets, helping authorities and citizens to reveal complex patterns and inconsistencies; process large amounts of data, and apply algorithms that cannot be threatened nor bribed.

Technological solutions, let’s not forget, are just one of the means to combat the problem. It is urgent to continue developing institutional processes based on integrity, accountability, and whistleblowers protection. Investigation and prosecution systems need to be strengthened, especially in countries with high levels of corruption, so that  cases are documented, and those responsible pay for their crimes no matter their social or political status. 

In this edition of Links We Like explore the topic of data and anti-corruption by discussing examples of how technology can be a weapon against corruption, or make processes more efficient and transparent.