Complaint portals and RTI
What works: It reaches the officials, but the reply can take weeks.
Where it falls short: Only you see the reply. If they say the work is done, it’s your word against theirs.
How Rantr works
Put your rant out for the world to see, crowdsource the solution, and keep the government in check. Here's how each part works. Or watch the video
Rantr is a public place for your rants and suggestions about the problems you face and the decisions that affect you. It can be small or big: a drain that overflows, a tender, the city's plan for heatwaves, or a smaller protected zone around a national park.
Every rant shows how many people face the same problem, what solutions people suggest, who is in charge, and what they did about it. That last part is how Rantr keeps the government in check: their answer, or the lack of one, is there for everyone to see.
Anyone can read Rantr without an account. To post, you prove once with your ID that you're a real person, so there are no bots or fake accounts. After that, people only see your username.
Anything that affects people's lives, from a city decision to a national law on tax or education. Here are four example posts.
The protected zone around the national park is being made smaller so new buildings can come up. People had only 30 days to object.
9,300 support27 solutions
Top solution: show everyone the new map first2,100 agree
The city approved cutting 300 trees to widen MG Road. Why wasn’t this made public?
4,100 support12 solutions
No reply yetwaiting 12 days
Air in our city has been “severe” for 20 days, and the plan for it is still a draft.
15,800 support63 solutions
Officials replied: “Final plan next month”everyone can see it
The money to clean up the lake is spent. The lake looks the same.
Is it done? People in the area are checking2 of 3 have checked
Everyone rants. Almost nothing changes. Here's why.
When you complain on a portal, only you and the officials see it. News covers what is loud. Nobody can see how many people face the same problem.
Many people know how to fix a problem, like an engineer, a teacher, or someone who lives there. There is no public place to suggest it where officials and other people can see it.
Half the replies are bots, or people paid to start a fight. Real problems get buried under rage bait.
Deadlines and budgets get lost in news articles, screenshots and group chats. Six months later, nobody can find them.
You've probably tried at least one of these. Here's what each one is missing.
What works: It reaches the officials, but the reply can take weeks.
Where it falls short: Only you see the reply. If they say the work is done, it’s your word against theirs.
What works: Lots of people see it, and sometimes that’s enough.
Where it falls short: It goes viral for a day, then everyone forgets. Half the replies are bots or people looking for a fight.
What works: People in your area see it.
Where it falls short: Officials never see it, and by tomorrow it’s under 200 good morning messages.
On social media
A week later, nobody can find it
The same problem on Rantr
The best solutions are on top, and it stays up for everyone to see.
Write it the way you’d say it, in any language. Add a photo, a document or a link if you have one.
Each claim gets marked as Seen firsthand, Source or Opinion. Phone numbers and emails are removed before it goes public.
Others who face the same problem add their support. Anyone can suggest a solution, and the ones people agree with rise to the top.
Rantr sends it to the officials in charge and shows why they are responsible. When they say it’s done, the people affected check.
No one leads a change, so it starts with you. Even the smallest thing you do helps.
You might think your one rant or one tap won't change anything. But every one adds up, and together they make a problem hard to ignore.
Join the waitlist, and we will message you once, by email or text, when Rantr opens. You can also answer a few quick questions about the problems you face. Your answers decide what we build first.