INFORMATION FROM OPEN SOURCES AS A TOOL OF ANTI- CORRUPTION POLICY

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of information from open sources as an effective tool of anti-corruption policy in the context of the digitalization of public administration, the development of electronic services, and the growing public demand for transparency in the activities of public authorities. The relevance of the topic is determined by the fact that open data, official registers, electronic declarations, court decisions, public procurement data, media materials, and other arrays of publicly available information create new opportunities for identifying corruption risks, exercising public oversight, and strengthening the institutional capacity of the state in the field of corruption prevention.

The study examines the essence of information from open sources as a distinct analytical resource that ensures the formation of an evidence base for assessing the integrity of public officials, identifying conflicts of interest, analyzing illicit enrichment, monitoring lifestyles, and verifying the reliability of data submitted within financial control procedures. Particular attention is paid to the functional significance of open sources in the activities of anti-corruption bodies, investigative journalism, civil society organizations, and other actors of anti-corruption policy that use public information to identify hidden connections, questionable assets, and non-transparent managerial decisions.

It is substantiated that the systematic use of information from open sources contributes to increasing the effectiveness of anti-corruption policy due to the promptness of obtaining information, the possibility of its verification, cross-register comparison, and the formation of objective analytical conclusions. At the same time, it is emphasized that the effectiveness of this instrument depends on the quality of the legal framework for access to information, the technical compatibility of state resources, the level of digital competence of authorized actors, as well as on maintaining a balance between data openness and the protection of human rights, privacy, and information security.

It is revealed that information from open sources has significant potential as a preventive, control, and analytical instrument of anti-corruption policy, since it allows not only the detection of already committed violations, but also the forecasting of corruption risks, the improvement of state monitoring mechanisms, and the formation of a culture of public accountability. It is concluded that the further development of anti-corruption policy requires the institutionalization of modern approaches to the collection, processing, and analysis of open information as a component of effective public governance.


References

1. On Prevention of Corruption: Law of Ukraine dated October 14, 2014 No. 1700-VII // Legislation of Ukraine Database / Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. URL: HYPERLINK "https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/go/1700-18"https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/go/1700-18 (accessed: March 9, 2026).
2. On Access to Public Information: Law of Ukraine dated January 13, 2011 No. 2939-VI // Legislation of Ukraine Database / Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. URL: HYPERLINK "https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/go/2939-17"https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/go/2939-17 (accessed: March 9, 2026).
3. On Information: Law of Ukraine dated October 2, 1992 No. 2657-XII // Legislation of Ukraine Database / Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. URL: HYPERLINK "https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/go/2657-12"https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/go/2657-12 (accessed: March 9, 2026).
4. On Public Electronic Registers: Law of Ukraine dated November 18, 2021 No. 1907-IX // Legislation of Ukraine Database / Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. URL: HYPERLINK "https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/go/1907-20"https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/go/1907-20 (accessed: March 9, 2026).
5. How Open Data Helps Fight Corruption? / National Agency on Corruption Prevention. January 20, 2021. URL: HYPERLINK "https://nazk.gov.ua/uk/zapobigannya-ta-vyyavlennya-koruptsiyi/yak-velyki-dani-dopomagayut-borotysya-z-koruptsiyeyu/"https://nazk.gov.ua/uk/zapobigannya-ta-vyyavlennya-koruptsiyi/yak-velyki-dani-dopomagayut-borotysya-z-koruptsiyeyu/ (accessed: March 9, 2026).
6. Komarova, Yu. M. Administrative and Legal Status of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine: PhD Dissertation in Law: 12.00.07. Kyiv: National Academy of Internal Affairs, 2018. 229 p. URL: HYPERLINK "https://elar.naiau.kiev.ua/bitstream/123456789/6710/1/dysertatsiia_komarova.pdf"https://elar.naiau.kiev.ua/bitstream/123456789/6710/1/dysertatsiia_komarova.pdf (accessed: March 9, 2026).
7. Pastukh, I. D. Prevention and Settlement of Conflict of Interest in Public Law Relations by Means of Administrative Law: Doctor of Law Dissertation: 12.00.07. Kyiv: National Academy of Internal Affairs, 2021. 518 p. URL: HYPERLINK "https://elar.naiau.kiev.ua/bitstream/123456789/18584/1/dysertatsiya_Pastukh.pdf"https://elar.naiau.kiev.ua/bitstream/123456789/18584/1/dysertatsiya_Pastukh.pdf (accessed: March 9, 2026).
8. Fodchuk, A. B. Administrative and Legal Principles of Protection of Persons Assisting in Combating Corruption: PhD in Law Dissertation: 081 Law. Kyiv: National Academy of Internal Affairs, 2020. 276 p. URL: HYPERLINK "https://elar.naiau.kiev.ua/bitstream/123456789/17886/1/dysert_fodchuk.pdf"https://elar.naiau.kiev.ua/bitstream/123456789/17886/1/dysert_fodchuk.pdf (accessed: March 9, 2026).
9. Steblianko, A. V. Electronic Declaration as a Form of Control over the Income of Public Officials: Experience of European Countries // Uzhhorod National University Scientific Bulletin. Law Series. 2017. Issue 44, Part 2. Pp. 160–164. URL: HYPERLINK "https://irbis-nbuv.gov.ua/cgi-bin/opac/search.exe?C21COM=2&I21DBN=UJRN&IMAGE_FILE_DOWNLOAD=1&Image_file_name=PDF%2Fnvuzhpr_2017_44%282%29__39.pdf&P21DBN=UJRN"https://irbis-nbuv.gov.ua/cgi-bin/opac/search.exe?C21COM=2&I21DBN=UJRN&IMAGE_FILE_DOWNLOAD=1&Image_file_name=PDF%2Fnvuzhpr_2017_44%282%29__39.pdf&P21DBN=UJRN (accessed: March 9, 2026).
10. Smetanina, N. V., Tavolzhanskyi, O. V. Monitoring the Lifestyle of Declaration Subjects in the System of Financial Control Measures // Analytical and Comparative Jurisprudence. 2022. No. 3. Pp. 210–214. URL: HYPERLINK "https://app-journal.in.ua/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/39.pdf"https://app-journal.in.ua/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/39.pdf (accessed: March 9, 2026).