The firm claims that “At Ehtesab, we believe civic technology can connect citizens to their governments and influence the work of those who lead them.”
Security in real-time
The app enables vetted users to provide crowdsourced alerts so data can be tracked across Kabul. People report on bomb blasts, roadblocks, electric outages, or any issue in close proximity to them. In real-time, the app streamlines and sends alerts.
Founder Sara Wahedi and her staff are working remotely in order to keep the service up and running. And keep the company’s people safe.
Wahedi says that alerts are an important way to provide information in a time of chaos. And Ehtesab avoids mentioning the word Taliban and provides information in a “discreet” way. They don’t wish to “construct a narrative” only to provide facts on-the-ground.
In recent days it is becoming harder to get information in and out of Kabul. But Wahedi said she felt a responsibility to Afghanistan’s younger generation, who “have grown up in war.” Silence, Wahedi says, “gives the Taliban an upper hand.”
