The scratchy image above is the page 35 of British MP Jim Murphy’s Additional Costs Allowance from 2007/2008. Item 5 on the list is a shave mirror for £17. Whether that is a legitimate expense to pass along to the taxpayers or not, the Guardian newspaper wants you to help them investigate it. It has posted this expense page here, as well as 457,152 others in a feature they are calling Investigate Your MP’s Expenses.
In government volunteer watchdog meets web 2.0, anybody can join the review process of expenses submitted over the last four years. You are encouraged to classify the page as either a receipt or expense form, and then mark whether it is interesting, not interesting, or so interesting it warrants investigation.
This is the latest use of technology to make government more transparent.