Ideas change everything

My wish: To launch a new era of openness in business

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Charmian Gooch |

TED2014

• March 2014

Anonymous companies protect corrupt individuals – from notorious drug cartel leaders to nefarious arms dealers – behind a shroud of mystery that makes it almost impossible to find and hold them responsible. But anti-corruption activist Charmian Gooch hopes to change all that. At TED2014, she shares her brave TED Prize wish: to know who owns and controls companies, to change the law, and to launch a new era of openness in business.

Anonymous companies protect corrupt individuals – from notorious drug cartel leaders to nefarious arms dealers – behind a shroud of mystery that makes it almost impossible to find and hold them responsible. But anti-corruption activist Charmian Gooch hopes to change all that. At TED2014, she shares her brave TED Prize wish: to know who owns and controls companies, to change the law, and to launch a new era of openness in business.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

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About the speaker

Anti-corruption activist

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Charmian Gooch is the 2014 TED Prize winner. At Global Witness, she exposes how a global architecture of corruption is woven into the extraction and exploitation of natural resources.

Learn more

The end of anonymous companies

Anonymous companies are getaway cars for the world’s criminal and corrupt. Check out the latest from Global Witness on how they plan to take away the keys.

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Charmian Gooch takes on anonymous companies

"My wish is for us to know who owns and controls companies, so that they can no longer be used anonymously against the public good."

Why dirty money is far too easy to hide

Corrupt officials and criminal operators are brilliant at hiding their money and actions from public view. But there's something we can do about it, says the team at Global Witness. It starts with closing loopholes.

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This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.