Bribes.fyi, an anonymous platform for reporting alleged bribe demands, has announced an indefinite shutdown after going viral.
The creators said the decision was voluntary and precautionary, and denied that it was linked to any complaint.
The platform will eventually delete recorded data and permanently shut down its status page.
Too Viral, Too Risky: India's First Anonymous Bribe Tracker Bribes.fyi Shuts Down
Bribes.fyi, an anonymous platform for reporting alleged bribe demands, has announced an indefinite shutdown, citing concerns over potential misuse after going viral
Summary
The website bribes.fyi, which allowed users to anonymously report bribes they were asked to pay, has announced an indefinite break. The platform operators described the shutdown as a voluntary and precautionary decision to avoid any misuse.
The website went viral recently, though its exact date of creation remains unknown, as Hindustan Times reported.
The creators confirmed they have no plans to enable submissions again. "Thanks for all the feedback and insights- we are taking an indefinite break and have no plans to enable the submissions again. This is a voluntary decision to sunset the website and a precautionary step to avoid any misuse of the platform, not a response to any complaint." the website stated, according to the publication.
The website also announced that it would keep the status page live for a while longer and then shut it down permanently, along with the permanent deletion of any recorded data.
How Platform Functioned
Bribes.fyi was India's first crowdsourced bribe registry, designed to be completely anonymous and permanently public. Before announcing the break, the website aggregated the reported data into three sections, reports, departments and cities.
It also allowed users to compare the number of reported bribes across different departments. The tracked departments included the Police, RTO, Revenue/Land Records, Passport Office, Municipal Corporation, GST Office, Electricity Board, Income Tax and Food and Drug Administration.
One of the reported bribes was for Rs 2,000, which a user was allegedly asked to pay to the Police in Pune. "Was told to take 'tatkal' route, which costs 2500 to avoid multiple visits and unnecessary delays," the person wrote while submitting the report.
The developers explained that the platform required steady, sustainable operation to succeed. "This was built to help people, and it would have been only possible with steady, sustainable operation, not as a viral moment. We request everyone not to circulate the names and images for their fame and views." the website stated.
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