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Summary: A Stanford student’s legal bot helps people fight parking tickets in London, New York, and now Seattle.
DoNotPay has already helped London and New York drivers fight parking tickets, and now the company has expanded to Seattle. The free service helps drivers fight parking tickets using a “robot lawyer,” and its young creator claims to have saved drivers from paying millions.
DoNotPay’s developer Joshua Browder told ABC News that it has helped appeal over 175,000 tickets worth roughly $5 million. So far, DoNotPay has been set up in New York and London, and Browder named Seattle as it’s next destination.
“Whenever I try to expand to a new area I always do it based on demand,” Browder said. “Lots of people are writing (and) saying that Seattle should be the next place.”
ABC News stated that the Seattle option went live on Friday evening.
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Drivers who get tickets visit the DoNotPay website or use its app and consult with an artificial intelligence lawyer by answering a series of questions about their parking ticket. The website or app then drafts a letter to the court on the driver’s behalf.
DoNotPay is a free service that was launched in 2015. Browder said that although investors are interested in his company, he wanted to keep the service free. Browder said that his intention was to help those who were oppressed.
“I think the people getting parking tickets are the most vulnerable in society. These people aren’t looking to break the law. I think they’re being exploited as a revenue source by the local government,” Browder told Venture Beat.
The Guardian reported that Browder who is a self-taught coder and Stanford student was inspired to create DoNotPay after receiving 30 tickets.
According to ABC News, “Seattle allows drivers with parking or traffic tickets to have their cases heard by a Magistrate without going to court. The program, called adjudication by mail, lets drivers substitute a written statement for an actual appearance.”
Browder said his next project is to develop lawyer bots that help U.K. tenants who face eviction, Syrian refugees seeking asylum in England, and HIV-positive patients know their rights. He also uses his technology to help people with flight delays.
“The governments don’t like me, but everyone else seems to,” he said.
What do you think about Browder and DoNotPay? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: ABC News, The Guardian
Graphic courtesy of Presse Citron
