( CNN ) -- Chinese web developers are using a new weapon aimed at fighting corruption : sites encouraging people to share stories of bribes online . Such sites -- inspired by a similar idea in India -- have surged in the past few weeks , but they 've had a shaky start . Interest in the idea gained widespread momentum on June 8 , after China 's state-run Beijing News published a story about a new website in India called `` Ipaidabribe.com . '' The site encourages users to `` tell us your bribe story '' and aims to `` uncover the market price of corruption '' by making people 's experiences publicly-accessible online . The website 's administrators promise to use the stories `` to argue for improving governance systems ... and thereby reduce the scope for corruption in obtaining services from the government . '' The idea quickly caught on in China , where analysts have said corruption is a serious problem . Official statistics on government corruption are hard to come by , but a 2007 report from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace argued that corruption threatens China 's future , fueling socioeconomic inequality and social unrest . Within days of the Beijing News story , several homegrown Chinese spinoffs had emerged . Visitors began posting hundreds of `` tips '' under headings like `` local officials ... are buying luxury villas at a small fraction of the market value , '' and `` High-ranking official with 146 mistresses writes a letter to his son . '' Some contained documentation to back up the claims ; others posted the names of the parties accused with no supporting evidence . But a week later , the state-run Jinghua Times reported that the government had declared `` citizens ' anti-corruption websites , '' as they had come to be known , illegal . It was a move many predicted . `` People share these websites with one another saying they want to see how long they 'll last before they get shut down or blocked . ( Their ) pessimistic attitudes are not unfounded , '' media critic Wei Yingjie wrote in a June 13 editorial posted on multiple Chinese newspapers ' websites . `` In fact , up til now , there has been no shortage of channels for fighting corruption . But in reality , posts ( that expose corruption ) get deleted ; people who file complaints about local government with higher levels of government get sent away ; and ( corruption ) tipsters get shipped from province to province . '' Within days , Wei 's article itself had been removed from several state-run websites . But last week , an unlikely coalition emerged against the government 's declaration : Chinese Internet freedom activists and the Communist Party-supported Global Times newspaper , which published an op-ed that argued against the ban on this class of website . `` Instead of shutting down these websites because of legal issues , the government should take this opportunity to work with the few websites that genuinely want to help , so that they may complement official bodies to fight corruption , '' the newspaper said . A web developer who goes by the name of `` Peater Q '' embodies this alliance . A young Communist Party member and web developer , Peater says his site , wohuilule.com , is the first of its kind to obtain government permission to exist . ( `` Wo hui lu le '' is a translation of `` I paid a bribe . '' ) He asked to remain anonymous for this article , saying he feared revealing his identity would put his security at risk . CNN did not see his website 's application documents , but his site was still viewable online Sunday -- days after many other similar sites were no longer accessible . Peater said he believes the government is working hard to reduce corruption within its own ranks , and he sees his site as `` a very specific resource for tips '' for the government officials who investigate corruption claims . `` I want to reduce their burden , '' he said . The very notion of anti-corruption websites that are vetted , potentially , by the same government officials the sites seek to expose sets off warning signals for some , who fear the sites will be used as a tool of persecution . An editorial cartoon in China 's widely-read Southern Weekend newspaper showed a representative of the public security bureau smiling as he says , `` please register with your legal name , address ... '' In front of him , a man is sweating and hiding behind a sign that reads `` I bribed.com '' in Chinese . At least one expert says such sites pose serious ethical questions . `` If you wanted to tarnish the reputation of the government or a department within it , or settle a vendetta , you could just get all of your friends to post claims against them , '' said Raymond Fisman , a professor at the Columbia Business School who has studied corruption . `` There is no way of credibly aggregating the information to assess the magnitude of the problem , '' he added . When asked if he thinks his site , too , could one day run afoul of Internet censors , Peater acknowledged negative consequences could pop up if people use the site for `` reactionary behavior . '' But he said sharing information will help tackle corruption . `` Positive things will come from widespread awareness . It 's not just a website for bad feelings , '' he said . For now , Peater continues tweaking his site -- now just three days old -- and waiting for the tips to come in .
The sites allow people to receive bribes and corruption complaints . Chinese state media reports ` ` ' ' anti - corruption websites '' are illegal . A site developer says he has received government permission for his website . An expert says open - source anti - bribe sites raise serious ethical questions .