30 May 2013
Smart phone app scans barcodes on groceries to determine GMO labeling campaign conflicts
Have you ever wondered whether the money that you spend ends up funding causes that you oppose?
The Buycott App allows those with smart phones to categorize products at the store based on what political campaigns they wish to support or oppose. Just scan the bar code and read about the company.
A buycott is the opposite of a boycott. Buycott helps you to organize your everyday consumer spending so that it reflects your principles. http://www.buycott.com/about
Example: During the SOPA/PIPA debate in 2012, a number of companies pushed to pass legislation that reduced online freedom of expression, while other companies fought hard to oppose the legislation. With Buycott, a campaign can be quickly created around a cause, with the goal of targeting companies with a boycott unless they change their position, or buycotting a company to show your support.
When you use Buycott to scan a product, it will look up the product, determine what brand it belongs to, and figure out what company owns that brand (and who owns that company, ad infinitum). It will then cross-check the product owners against the companies and brands included in the campaigns you’ve joined, in order to tell you if the scanned product conflicts with one of your campaign commitments.
