{"id":2017,"date":"2017-11-13T12:45:51","date_gmt":"2017-11-13T12:45:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/labs.webfoundation.org\/id\/fighting-corruption-one-dataset-at-a-time\/"},"modified":"2017-11-13T12:47:42","modified_gmt":"2017-11-13T12:47:42","slug":"fighting-corruption-one-dataset-at-a-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/labs.webfoundation.org\/id\/fighting-corruption-one-dataset-at-a-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Fighting corruption one dataset at a time"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This piece is written by Open Data Lab Jakarta\u2019s Lab Manager, Antya Widita. Follow him on Twitter at <\/em>@AntyaWidita<\/em><\/a> for more.<\/em><\/p>\n

Corruption is brutal \u2013 its impact harms society economically, politically, and even environmentally. The current President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, calls corruption an \u201cextraordinary crime<\/a> that requires extraordinary measures\u201d.<\/p>\n

Eye-opening events on tackling corruption<\/b><\/p>\n

Open data can be a powerful tool for anti-corruption. Initiatives around the world<\/a> have shown that open data can be used to hold governments accountable, foster transparency and drive meaningful citizen engagement to monitor government actions, thereby shrinking the space for corrupt practices. Our Jakarta Lab has been working on such initiatives with local partners in Indonesia and elsewhere in the region, since 2014.<\/p>\n

Recently, we spoke at two international events, sharing our experiences, lessons learned, and evidence of how open data can benefit society by combating corruption.<\/p>\n

The first event, \u201cAdvancing Transparency and Anti-Corruption Movement in the Governance of Asia\u2019s Natural Resources<\/a>“, provided a rare opportunity for civil society groups and journalists to share their experiences and look for ways to collaborate on anti-corruption. We presented tools that we\u2019ve developed to promote government and civil society collaboration<\/a> and for creating an environment for successful bottom-up processes<\/a> to open up government data.<\/p>\n

We also spoke at the global conference on \u201cOpening up Ownership<\/a>\u201d, hosted by the Government of Indonesia and the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative<\/a> (EITI). This event convened representatives from more than 45 countries to renew their commitments to extractive transparency and to discuss practical steps needed to reveal the real owners of companies \u2013 sometimes referred to as \u201cbeneficial owners\u201d \u2013 with a focus on the energy and mining industries.<\/p>\n

In 2016, EITI\u2019s 52 member countries agreed to adopt new rules on disclosing beneficial ownership of companies that apply for an exploration or production \u2013 of oil, gas or mining \u2013 license or contract. These required companies to disclose details of their beneficial owner and identify any politically-exposed persons to avoid any conflicts of interest. We presented and explained the available standards<\/a>, guidelines<\/a> and best practices<\/a> we use to open up government data, things we see as vital to ensure this data is fit for purpose and can be used meaningfully by citizens.<\/p>\n

Our key takeaways from the two events:<\/b><\/p>\n