Buycott: The Consumer Activist App

A new phone app that was rolled out this month scans product barcodes and provides the user with information about the corporations that make the product.  From Forbes:

The app itself is the work of one Los Angeles-based 26-year-old freelance programmer, Ivan Pardo, who has devoted the last 16 months to Buycott. “It’s been completely bootstrapped up to this point,” he said. Martinez and another friend have pitched in to promote the app. . . .

Pardo’s handiwork is available for download on iPhone or Android, making its debut in iTunes and Google GOOG +2.02% Play in early May. You can scan the barcode on any product and the free app will trace its ownership all the way to its top corporate parent company, including conglomerates like Koch Industries.  Once you’ve scanned an item, Buycott will show you its corporate family tree on your phone screen . . .