© KözpénzRadarUsing crowdsourcing and gamification, KözpénzRadar puts public oversight in the hands of ordinary citizens, safely exposing misuse of state funds in Hungary's rural communities.
WHO CHECKS WHERE THE MONEY GOES?
Hungary's Village Program distributes significant public funds to rural communities — but oversight is limited and trust in state institutions is low. Financial, legal, and professional insecurity pushes people toward individual survival rather than collective action, and the fear of retaliation keeps civic engagement at bay. KözpénzRadar was built for exactly this environment. Using only an email address and a nickname, citizens can verify and evaluate the outcomes of Village Program grants without exposing their identity. In a context where speaking out carries real personal risk, anonymity is not a technical feature but a democratic necessity.
CIVIC AUDITING MADE ACCESSIBLE AND ENGAGING
The platform works through crowdsourcing and gamification: users visit grant-funded shops and businesses, classify them as functioning, problematic, or non-existing based on simple, clear criteria, and earn points and achievements for their contributions. If a shop has minimal stock, never opened, or shows signs of misuse, users flag it. When multiple reports confirm a problem, the platform files a formal complaint with the National Tax Authority. By making the process structured, community-verified, and even competitive, KözpénzRadar turns a complex anti-corruption task into something ordinary citizens can meaningfully contribute to without legal or professional expertise.
REBUILDING TRUST, ONE VILLAGE AT A TIME
In just 2.5 months, citizens submitted 431 verified reports covering approximately €26.5M in public funds. The platform does more than expose fraud — it also highlights grants that are working properly, giving successful projects visibility and foot traffic. Both outcomes matter for rebuilding trust within Hungarian society. The settlements targeted are among the smallest in the country, where the feeling of being forgotten runs deepest. By bringing attention and actual visitors to these places and encouraging direct conversation with locals, KözpénzRadar builds bridges across disconnected parts of Hungarian society, chipping away at the culture of fear and disengagement that authoritarian governance depends on.
