ResistBot is software that allows people in the United States to send letters to Congress in under two minutes. It provides information that identifies a user's congressional representative in response to the user's texted request for the information. It then provides a platform to deliver messages and letters to representatives and local newspapers via Telegram, Facebook, and SMS. In addition, the ResistBot service allows users to look up town halls, and receive opportunities for volunteering. ResistBot is funded through donations, and run by volunteers.
Video ResistBot
History
ResistBot was established by Eric Ries and Jason Putorti in January 2017. Though the program was founded by opposers of the Trump administration, it functions as an un-biased channel, allowing users to compose their own messages. It is operated by a team of over 100 volunteers who read letters to scan for foul language and spamming before they are approved for delivery. Donations from users pay for postage, faxes, calls, and texts to Congress. ResistBot is headquartered in San Fransisco.
Maps ResistBot
How ResistBot works
ResistBot claims that it is the only service that lets individuals write to Congress while simultaneously submitting their letters to their area's local newspapers. Users text RESIST to 50409. The system then asks for user zip codes to find out who represents them in Congress, and provides a platform to text their letters to be delivered, with users receiving a copy. The first message goes to their Senator, after which users have the option to also send letters to Representatives. Users may also Telegram or Facebook message their letters to the system. The program is free to use, and does not require downloading apps. When ResistBot began, letters were faxed to their designated places. However, as the program received more heavy usage, it switched to electronic delivery systems as their primary channel, with faxes and hand delivery as secondary methods. Other features of the app include hand signing letters, finding town halls, and calling Congress.
Usage and reception
ResistBot has been featured on many news and magazine sites including Recode, Teen Vogue, and Huffington Post. In an interview with Recode, Putorti acknowledged that though the product's main purpose was to voice those in opposition to the Trump campaign, the system delivers all messages without regard to political views. ResistBot's twitter feed features responses by members of Congress to users who have sent messages through the software.
In November 2017, ResistBot was used as a channel by Medium Magazine to push Net Neutrality letters to Congress. The article published seven letter templates for readers to send to their representatives in favor of net neutrality. In January 2018, The Peace Report published an article pushing its users to send letters to government officials through ResistBot in order to oppose the construction of two new military bases in Okinawa. The article contained a letter template for readers to copy and paste to Congress representatives.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments