The rise in cybercrime and the proliferation of so-called “fake news” on social media have soured many people on the digital revolution. However, the same novel technologies that enable these distressing trends can also help us combat corruption much more effectively.

There are several encouraging examples in Latin America, a region recently swept by major corruption scandals, where digital tools are becoming a powerful means of rooting out fraud in government and foiling unscrupulous officials and their accomplices.