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Argentines become citizen-cops with smartphone app

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Published February 7, 2014 5:07am ET
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Argentines become citizen-cops with smartphone app
Yamila Fraiman, below, and Alejandro Torrado, center, computer engineering students, scan the bar code of a liter of milk in a supermarket during a demonstration of their App in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014. Alejandro and Yamila created a system in which customers can use their personal cell phones to scan the supermarket products to know if they are those under price controls by the national government. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) | Rodrigo Abd

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A free smartphone application has encouraged more than 70,000 Argentines to become citizen-cops as they shop.

Argentina’s government blames escalating inflation on speculators and greedy businesses, and has pressured leading supermarket chains to keep selling more than 80 key products at fixed prices. President Cristina Fernandez wants citizens to report any overpriced items to the consumer protection agency.

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