WikiCrimes
WikiCrimes is a collaborative crime-mapping platform created in Brazil that allows citizens to anonymously report and search criminal events on a digital map.[^c1] Launched in late 2007 by computer scientist [[people/vasco-furtado|Vasco Furtado]] of the University of Fortaleza, the platform applied wiki-style collaborative technology to public safety, enabling anyone to contribute and access crime information. Its creators described it as "a project from the citizen to the citizen," distinct from any security institution.[^c5]
The platform emerged from frustration with the unavailability of official crime data in Brazil, which Furtado argued constituted a police monopoly on information fundamental to democracy.[^c2][^c3] By 2010, WikiCrimes had accumulated approximately 3,000 confirmed users and more than 100,000 visits from 156 countries, with most activity concentrated in Brazil.[^c4] The project generated multiple academic publications and led to spin-off platforms including a humanitarian crisis-mapping tool and a general-purpose collaborative map creator. A 2023 retrospective assessed the scientific, technological, and social lessons from fifteen years of the project.[^c6]
Subsequent platforms in Brazil have pursued crime data accessibility through different models. [[concepts/fogo-cruzado|Fogo Cruzado]], launched in 2016, collects and verifies armed violence data through open-source intelligence and community submissions, described as having effectively broken the state's monopoly on armed violence data.[^c7] [[concepts/crime-brasil|Crime Brasil]], an independent data journalism platform launched in 2024, aggregates official crime microdata from government sources and publishes it as open data, transforming raw government data into verified, contextualized information.[^c8]