Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Zabatak - Caught you!

Zabatak is an Egyptian, non-profit, independent initiave that aims to promote safety in the streets. It is founded and produced by Mr. Abbas Ibrahim, with co-producers Nagla Metwally, Ali Hefnawy, Mostafa Raafat and Amr Sobhy.
The aim of Zabatak is to reduce corruption and protect people from street violence and gangs. Via crowdsourcing Zabatak collects useful information on incidents of fraud, car theft and bribery in major Egyptian cities. The portal was founded as a reaction to the poor security situation and the rise in lootings and assaults during the January uprisings in Egypt.





Zabatak warns citizens of dangerous areas with a high crime rate and encourages them to contribute to a safe and corruption-free Egypt. By reporting any sort of illegal activity they witness, citizens should feel safer and more empowered.
Anyone can report irregulations, thefts, frauds, violence, violation of buildings or corruption in a certain area. Reporting can be done via: 1.email,
2. messaging through twitter following # zabatak, or
3. a form in the site.
An interactive map shows the areas which have had some negative activities.Users can select to check just certain areas and all the irregularities that have happened there, or they can select a crime type and search just that category.

Corrupt officials stand no chance when their misconduct is not only observed, but also
reported. Since the site‟s launch in February 2011 more than 60.000 users have visited
the site. 600 incidents of theft and bribery have so far been reported and marked on the
interactive map.

1 comment:

  1. This is a good example on how people can actually make a difference in their community. Also the anonymity is essential for this type of website.

    ReplyDelete