Transparency:

open access to information is the best strategy against corruption.

Corruption won't be ended by those who are corrupt; only organised
citizens can do it, and that is exactly what we are doing.
There is a lot of talk about corruption in Spain these days because of many cases that have come
to light lately. Government and political parties try to take credit for it, so that all stays the same,
but it is certainly not their merit.
All cases that are being handled have emerged thanks to civil society.
We uncovered the Bankia and the Black Cards cases and almost every other one (except maybe
the Noos case and a few others). The action of one or more citizens, tired of the abuse, has been
fundamental. That is why, since 2012, we have been working to implement the pioneering
structure we have now.
We are now sharing with you skills we have learnt over these years:
We fight for the right to information http://www.cuartopoder.es/tribuna/2014/05/09/tenemoslas-herramientas-y-las-usaremos/5789. Without it, democracy is nothing more than a parody. As
citizens, the fight against corruption is a key strategical fight to achieve a system worthy of being
called a democracy http://partidox.org/programa/. In this fight against corruption the first step,
which is always the most important one, is the access to information.
We believe that corruption, given its consequences, is a political, ethical and social problem, but
also a technical problem and as such it can be addressed.
Consider for instance the impunity that sustains corruption. From a political, moral or social
point of view it is a big problem for us all, though from a technical point of view it is our great
opportunity and their great weakness. For decades they have enjoyed such a degree of impunity
that they have become careless. You do not have to work hard covering your back if you're sure
that you will never get caught. This is why this citizen counterattack, that is behind the unveiling
of major corruption cases in Spain over the recent months, has caught them off-guard.
This counterattack is not being carried out from an ideological front but rather from various
different points of civil society. We, from different groups such as
- 15MpaRato http://15mparato.wordpress.com/ driver of the lawsuit against Bankia (for the scam
its flotation meant) and the preferred shares case,
- Xnet http://xnet-x.net/ who has been for years now encouraging the use of the Internet to fight
against abuses and improve democracy, and who currently handles the BuzonX (MailboxX)
http://xnet-x.net/buzonx
- or the X Party's Citizen Anti-Corruption Commission http://partidox.org/commission-anticorruption/ responsible for the discovery of Blesa's e-mails
http://partidox.org/loscorreosdeblesa/ and the black cards case,
want to share some general considerations that we have learnt while fighting corruption,
believing they can serve other citizens.

How can citizens fight corruption?

ANALYSE AND DEVELOP
- What can I denounce? Considering what will be denounced requires an objective analysis of
both the public impact and the legal issues. As immoral as they may seem, not all the facts are
legally punishable, nor as easy to prove. The goal of each action is to open a crack in the wall of
impunity and for that we must concentrate all our forces on a single point. Corruption by nature
branches. Every issue we investigate will lead us to more. To investigate everything is highly
tempting when you want to do justice, but not very productive when you want to be effective.
Let's focus on the roots and not climb the branches. Tackle the plot of political-business
collusion, instead of the casuistry. This is how all will fall. This is how we are doing in the Bankia
case with 15MpaRato.
- Where to filter information? Special precautions must be taken at this point. The vast majority
of political parties and media are not interested in investigating (it is expensive and complex),
they are more interested in the news, even at the cost of obstructing the process. If we want to
get to the root of the problem, we have to keep a focus entirely clear enough to identify at bird's
eye view the most important things we need to concentrate on. It is important not to get lost in
information that moves us away from the underlying idea. And it is essential to protect the
sources.
With the Buzon X, an organised group of citizens guarantee media coverage and protection of the
sources so that the information reaches the public. When the people releasing the leaks are
willing to organise and fight, legal advice is also guaranteed.
- Develop the information obtained based on the issue to be denounced. Do not think that our
job as committed citizens ends with being in possession and filtering certain information. In most
cases, the work in itself of collecting evidence and monitoring the evolution of the information is
essential. Keep in mind that groups of organised citizens, as in our case, do not have the
resources to cover all the work that a filtration entails; the work performed by the informant
himself becomes very relevant.
PROTECT YOURSELF!
- Preserve your own safety. Political parties, lawyers, media... in our experience we have been
surprised to find that almost none of them tend to use secure channels in their communications,
often leading to a protection problem for the source. From the groups of organised citizens, we
consider such tools essential. All leaks, if recommendations are followed, reach the Buzon X in an
entirely anonymous way, and all subsequent communications are carried out in safe
communication environments (Tor network), fully protecting the source of information of
retaliation and obstacles that may complicate the fight. This is not secrecy or conspiranoia, it is
essential in a country where citizens that organise to denounce corruption and abuses are not
protected as they should be. In other countries like USA, Canada, Iceland, Denmark, South Africa
or Ireland, there is specific protection legislation and the so-called "whistleblowers" (people who
raise the alarm) are considered almost heroes. In other countries the opposite happens; like in
China, Turkey and, to some extent, Spain.
ORGANISE AND COLLABORATE
- Organise, but with caution. As a group of citizens willing to federate their efforts and skills with
others, organisation is a key issue.
Depending on the case denounced, finding the support that ends up shaping an organised group
of citizens has to be carried out with caution to continue preserving your safety and that of
others, as well as not to expose the information being processed. The difficulty is not opening
this information, but rather how it is opened up. If it is not done at the right time, everything is at

risk of falling apart and not serving anything but to give out notice to the corrupt.
One year ago, Xnet launched a pioneering experience: it has a team of people who move to
places where there are organised citizens to give them training in media and legal techniques.

- Collaborate. In many cases, the development and legal framing of the information obtained and
leaked has nothing to do with the knowledge of the informant, and this is where collaboration
between citizens and journalists acquires special relevance.
This is why the network launched by Xnet is so important and pioneering, for it involves and
connects citizens with activists, journalists (more than 40 are involved around a unique and
transversal protocol, regardless of the media they may belong to), lawyers, auditors and tax
inspectors, among others. Citizen collaboration is not only the best mechanism for denouncing
corruption, but also for analysing information.
- Strength. Once work is completed and the evidence of the corrupt plot is published, it is time to
be aware of the fact that only half of the work has been done in order to reach success.
To believe that only exposing the evidence will end political collusion and corruption is in itself a
mistaken belief, for which we have never had any evidence. To avoid this information falling into
oblivion and so it serves its political, communicational or judicial purposes, two elements are
necessary:
- A networked campaign that succeeds in spreading wildfire until everyone who was unpunished
is hit. The good news is that this second part is the most stimulating and empowering part of the
work.
- A legal action, whenever possible.
It is because all this that 15MpaRato, Xnet and the collaboration with the X Party's AntiCorruption Commission are pioneer citizen devices, capable of catalysing all of these needs in a
very effective network, agile in action. Its experience is serving as a model in Spain, and now also
in other countries.

Corruption won't be ended by those who are corrupt; only organised citizens can do it, and that
is what we are doing.