Barcode App Helps You Boycott Companies

    It appears that bar codes have become an instrument for social change in a new and dramatic way.   A new app for iPhone and Android helps you more effectively boycott companies by scanning the barcodes on products - and then learning what companies are involved in the manufacturing of the product,  according to an article on the Forbes website, written by Clare O'Connor. 

 http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2013/05/14/new-app-lets-you-boycott-koch-brothers-monsanto-and-more-by-scanning-your-shopping-cart/

   Are you concerned about the exploitation of child workers in the garment industry in Asia? Or the inclusion of chemicals sourced from a manufacturer of toxic chemicals, if so,  this app could be a tool for identifying companies involved in the production of the item.  

     The app is called Buycott, and rocketed to #10 on the Apple download list within just a few days.  The developer also has an Android version which he had to temporarily take down, as his servers were overwhelmed.

    It can also presumably be used as a tool to identify and then reward companies that conduct themselves in a manner socially or politically acceptable to the user.

     Interestingly, some of the reader comments following the article were what I would call vitriolic - as though the mere reporting of the presence of a new app was equivalent to inciting a riot.  It would appear that such an app is threatening to some people. 

       An app that helps people find out the truth about a product or situation, while not compromising the safety of any human beings, is a positive event and is to be welcomed!!

 

    Personally I recall the protests against Dow Chemical back in the 1970s during the Vietnam war era, for its production of a toxic chemical called Agent Orange -which was believed to be linked to illnesses sustained by veterans of the Vietnam war.  Such an app would have been useful at that time for implementing a more effective boycott of the chemical company.   

   Thank you Clare for reporting on this app!

  

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