2 weeks ago
Student-built Bribes.fyi crowdsources reports of bribe demands in India
A student in India named Aryan Nishad made a website called Bribes.fyi.
The website lets people share their experiences of being asked to pay money to get government work done.
People can share these stories without revealing their names.
The website collects the stories and sorts them by city and government department.
Police offices had the most stories, with 336 reports.
As of August 17, the website had 617 reports from 253 cities.
The website says these are just people's stories, not proven facts.
Some people think the website is a great idea that could help find problems.
Other people worry the stories might not all be true.
The website has paused new stories for now while it reviews its legal and financial plans.
Bribes.fyi, launched on July 2 by Delhi-based B.Tech student Aryan Nishad, is a free crowdsourced platform for anonymously reporting alleged bribe demands in Indian government offices.
As of August 17, the database showed 617 reports across 253 cities, with police-related complaints the largest category at 336 reports.
The Regional Transport Office followed with 89 reports, and 37 per cent of respondents said they refused to pay but still completed their work.
State-wise data showed Karnataka with the most reports (90), followed by Maharashtra (55) and Uttar Pradesh (45).
The platform paused new submissions to review its legal and financial infrastructure, while critics have questioned how submissions are verified.
- Who
- Aryan Nishad, a 20-year-old B.Tech student at Delhi's Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology, created Bribes.fyi; users anonymously report alleged bribe demands.
- What
- A free, crowdsourced, searchable public database where Indians can anonymously document alleged bribe demands in government offices.
- Where
- India, with reports spanning 253 cities; the founder is based in Delhi.
- When
- Launched on July 2; figures displayed on the site as of August 17.
- Why
- To make bribery complaints more visible and reveal recurring patterns across government departments and states; the data is acknowledged as self-selected, not a definitive measure of corruption.
Supporters (Reddit users)
Critics (Hacker News users)
Platform's significance
Supporters (Reddit users)
Reddit commenters welcomed the initiative, with one describing Bribes.fyi as potentially 'the most consequential platform ever built' and another calling it an excellent initiative.
Critics (Hacker News users)
Commenters on Hacker News questioned how the website verifies submissions, noting that the apparent safeguard is a checkbox asking contributors to confirm the experience is genuine.
Data reliability
Supporters (Reddit users)
Supporters say the platform makes visible experiences that might otherwise remain private, particularly for people reluctant to file formal complaints.
Critics (Hacker News users)
Critics argue that crowdsourcing raises open questions about accuracy, duplication, exaggeration and false submissions unless additional verification mechanisms are added.
Key facts
- Platform
- Bribes.fyi — free, crowdsourced, unofficial
- Founder
- Aryan Nishad, 20-year-old B.Tech student at Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology
- Launch date
- July 2
- Reports as of August 17
- 617 reports across 253 cities
- Largest category
- Police-related complaints (336); Regional Transport Office second (89)
- Top states
- Karnataka (90), Maharashtra (55), Uttar Pradesh (45)
- Refusal rate
- 37 per cent of respondents refused to pay but completed their work
- Current status
- New submissions paused; legal and financial review underway
Quotes
Hacker News commenter
Commenter on Hacker News raising verification concerns
“the apparent safeguard was a checkbox asking contributors to confirm that they were describing a genuine experience”
firstpost.com
“the most consequential platform ever built”
firstpost.com
Sources
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