The Federal Bureau of Investigation is working to crack down on stolen art, allowing private citizens and art institutions to track down pieces from their phones using its national database in an app form.
The new app, released last week, is a digital version of the US National Stolen Art File, the bureau’s database of stolen artworks and culturally significant objects.
Initially, the NSAF app was meant to be used by law enforcement and workers in the art industry. However, access to the app has been expanded, allowing anyone in the world to use it.
This will now allow private citizens to verify cultural property’s legal status by swiping and tapping, according to the FBI.
Colleen Childers, a member of the FBI’s art crime program, shared in a statement that this is one of the most significant steps taken in cracking down on art theft.
“One of the biggest evolutions for NSAF was making it publicly available,” Childers said. “Now, with the new mobile upgrade that we’ve undergone, we want to continue to push to make it a more user-friendly platform.”
Users of the app will be able to search and filter functions that categorize art by description, location, and genre. It will also feature a sharing capability, helping to spread the word about stolen pieces.
The FBI is following the steps of Italy’s Carabinieri, which released an app in 2014 with the purpose of enlisting the public in supporting the fight against cultural heritage crimes.
The FBI’s new app is free to download and use, and the bureau says that anyone who is able to identify art that may be stolen can submit tips to the FBI straight from the app.
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