Bribes.fyi, a platform that allowed users to anonymously report bribes they were allegedly asked to pay, has announced an “indefinite break”, describing the move as a “voluntary decision”.
In a message posted on its website, the platform said the decision was a precautionary measure to prevent any “misuse” of the platform. Bribes.fyi had recently gone viral, although its exact date of creation remains unknown.
“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 message read.
Website To Be Shut Down Permanently
Bribes.fyi said its status page would remain live for some time before being shut down permanently. It also said all recorded data would be permanently deleted.
“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 said.
What Was Bribes.fyi?
Bribes.fyi described itself as India’s first crowdsourced bribe registry, where users could anonymously report details of bribes they were allegedly asked to pay.
Users could submit information including the role, amount and department involved. The platform described the registry as completely anonymous and permanently public.
Before announcing its indefinite break, the website organised the reported data into three sections — reports, departments and cities. It also allowed users to compare reported bribes across departments.
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The departments listed on the platform included the Police, RTO, Revenue/Land Records, Passport Office, Municipal Corporation, GST Office, Electricity Board, Income Tax, and Food and Drug Administration.
₹2,000 Bribe Reported In Pune
One of the reports submitted on the platform involved an alleged ₹2,000 bribe in Pune.
The person who submitted the report alleged that they were asked to pay the amount to the Police Department.
“Was told to take ‘tatkal’ route, which costs 2500 to avoid multiple visits and unnecessary delays,” the person wrote while submitting the report.
BJP Plans Greater Outreach To Gen Z
In an unrelated development, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has planned greater engagement with students and young adults to reset its narrative and sway Gen Z and young people's sentiments towards the government following the CJP student protests, HT reported earlier.
“The party has identified some gaps in our communication and outreach that could have exacerbated the students’ unrest and created a perception that the concerns of the youth were not addressed… There will be more engagement with students and young adults,” a BJP lawmaker said, requesting anonymity.
“The Yuva Morcha will be more active, there will be more programmes and events to connect with the youth. We will also reach out to the younger lot in schools, who may be young, but are clued in and active on social media,” a second senior party functionary said.
“Both in Bankipur and Datia, we failed to counter a particular narrative, which hurt the party… We felt some issues did not merit a response, but in hindsight, we should have been more forthcoming in tackling those,” the functionary added.
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