Corruption and money laundering are complex crimes, driven by networks of individuals, professional intermediaries and companies. In order to tackle it effectively, we need to spot the patterns and dismantle these networks. Many corruption schemes leave their mark on government held datasets, and rely on the ability to secure ownership of companies, land, and assets to launder corrupt proceeds.
In recent years, open data - data that can be freely used, modified and shared by anyone for any purpose - has emerged as an important instrument in tackling corruption. Company registers, public contracts, asset disclosures and interest registers are all important sources of information for detecting corruption. To harness this opportunity, information needs to move out of its silos, be cross-referenced with other data sets, and new technologies need to be employed for screening it. This workshop explores some of the latest approaches for analysing large quantities of data for anti-corruption and anti-money laundering purposes and facilitates a conversation about the value of open data for tackling these crimes.
This workshop will:
i) Encourage civil society organisations, journalists and others to use and build on existing approaches for analysing large quantities of data (i.e. beneficial ownership registers; PEPs databases, offshore leaks).
ii) Share learning and contrast methods with law enforcement and the private sector’s approach for analysing data for AML purposes.
iii) Encourage civil society orgnaisations and others to advocate for open data sets (e.g. beneficial ownership) and provide them with concrete examples to use in their advocacy.
More information: Session Rapporteur:
Alexandria Robins
