What’s New
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26 June 2013
European Human Rights Court Rules Against Serbia
The European Court on Human Rights has supported a right to access information held by public bodies, holding that Serbia violated the human rights of a group seeking information. With language grounded in international human rights standards, the European Court of Human Rights June 25 backed the arguments of a non-governmental organization based in Belgrade, Serbia, the Youth Initiative […]
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24 June 2013
FOI Backers in Philippines Launch Petition Campaign
Trying a new tactic, supporters of freedom of information legislation in the Philippines are planning to file a petition with Congress proposing enactment of a FOI law. There have been no shortage of proposed laws in recent years, but their backers have been frustrated bitterly in the last two session of Congress. They have faced […]
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24 June 2013
Knight Names Winners of Open Government Grants
The Knight Foundation July 24 awarded $3.2 million to eight projects as winners of the Knight News Challenge on Open Gov. Each of the winning projects offers a solution to a real-world need. They include: Civic Insight: Providing up-to-date information on vacant properties so that communities can find ways to make tangible improvements to local […]
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21 June 2013
Kurdish Region of Iraq Reaches Compromise on FOI
The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is moving toward a law on right to information, according to a report by Abdel Hamid Zebari for Al-Monitor Iraq Pulse. The deal has taken three years to negotiate, Zebari write, but a consensus has been reached by the ruling bloc, comprised of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic […]
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21 June 2013
Critics Score Emerging Pakistani FOI Legislation
A developing Pakistani freedom of information law is getting poor initial reviews. A Senate subcommittee recently produced a long-awaiting national bill (text). (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) Zahid Abdullah, Coordinator Coalition on Right to Information (CRTI), sharply criticized the bill in a statement. “There is a long negative list … and a small positive list of […]
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21 June 2013
FOI Notes: Open Contracting, Commentary, Grants, Research, etc
Open Contracting: The Open Contracting Partnership (OCP) announces a set of open contracting principles. Dennis Santiago, Executive Director of the Government Procurement Policy Board of the Philippines and OCP steering group member, is quoted: Transparency and Openness of government transactions are best manifested through the procurement information and contract data sets they make available to the public. However, […]
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21 June 2013
Ontario Commissioner Says Emails Improperly Deleted
The information commissioner of the Canadian province of Ontario has found that a top government official improperly deleted emails. Commissioner Ann Cavoukian said in a report that the chief of staff to the former minister of energy violated the Archives and Recordkeeping Act (ARA) and the records retention schedule developed for ministers’ offices by the […]
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18 June 2013
G-8 Leaders Sign Charter to Make Data More Open
The leaders of the Group of Eight countries June 18 committed to publishing government information in more useful ways, agreeing on an “Open Data Charter” and setting follow-up plans. The eleventh and final point of the summit declaration says: Governments should publish information on laws, budgets, spending, national statistics, elections and government contracts in a way that […]
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17 June 2013
FOI Notes: Funding, UK, Open Data, EU, US
Funding: The Open Society Foundations June 15 launched a $10 million Transparency Champions Challenge “to empower reformers around the world to improve government responsiveness and accountability.” The Open Society pledge of new resources to support the efforts of civil society and government transparency champions hinges on other governments, companies, and/or private foundations coming forward with […]
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17 June 2013
Nigeria Failing to Post Spending Data, Paper Says
The Nigerian federal government is consistently failing to put information about spending online, according to an article by Ajibola Hamzat in The Guardian. Under the 2010 freedom of information law, Section 2(3 and 4), government agencies must publish information including “information relating to the receipt or expenditure of public or other funds of the institution, […]
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14 June 2013
Altered Hungarian Bill Still Draws Objections
The Hungarian parliament June 11 made slight modifications to previously rejected legislation revising the freedom of information law, but critics still are raising objections. In particular, the amendment will allow public agencies too much latitude in to reject FOI claims deemed excessive, said Fanny Hidvégi, FOI and data protection director for the Hungarian Civil Liberties […]
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14 June 2013
Consortium in Jordan Plans to Push RTI Amendments
A national consortium has been formed in Jordan to push for revisions to the access to information law. The Jordan Transparency Center, the organizer of the effort, reports that 27 civil society organizations and 23 activists from law and media firms are participating. The allies recently discussed amendments proposed by the government to the parliament […]
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14 June 2013
Pakistan Subcommittee OKs Draft RTI Legislation
A subcommittee of Pakistan’s Senate Committee on Information and Broadcasting June 13 approved a draft Right to Information (RTI) Act 2013, The three-person committee rejected a last-minute request to delay from the Ministry of Defense, with one senator saying the ministry had been “contemptuous.” The Information Ministry has agreed to update the proposal in light […]
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14 June 2013
Ghana Cabinet FOI Bill Not Yet Made Public
The Ghana government has not yet made public the text of its promised freedom of information law, according to local activists. The Cabinet approved a bill June 6. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) The bill will be public once introduced in Parliament, which reconvened May 28. Transparency supporters are eager to see the bill in part […]
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14 June 2013
Groups Start New Initiative on Global Open Data
Five groups June 11 announced creation of the Global Open Data Initiative (GODI) “to share principles and resources for governments and societies on how to best harness the opportunities created by opening government data.” The effort is led by Fundar, Sunlight Foundation, World Wide Web Foundation, The Open Institute and Open Knowledge Foundation. “The initiative […]
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14 June 2013
Cayman Islands Freedom of Information Review Was Private
By Brent Fuller The following article published June 13 is reprinted with permission from the Cayman Compass. A related report in FreedomInfo.org describes legislative action on proposed FOI amendments. A Caymanian Compass news story from December 2010 that caused considerable uproar among lawmakers and which led to calls for the newspaper to face criminal prosecution was apparently […]
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14 June 2013
Cayman Committee Backs Anonymity, Free Requests
A Cayman Islands legislative subcommittee has recommended continuing to allow anonymous requests and free processing, according to an article by Brent Fuller in the Cayman Compass. These and other recommendations have subsequently been approved by a committee of the entire Legislative Assembly in preparation for a vote by the full body. The government’s Freedom of Information […]
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13 June 2013
FOI Notes: Transparency Champions, OGP Strategy, EU, Open Data
Transparency Voices: The Guardian features 12 transparency advocates: Peru Carlos Arroyo, national co-ordinator for Peru’s Anti-Corruption Network, Lima Nigeria Faith Nwadishi, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative board member; national co-ordinator, Publish What You Pay Bangladesh Hasibur Rahman, Management and Resources Development Initiative executive director, development worker, rights activist Mexico José Luis Moyá, consultant and landlord, Mexico […]
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12 June 2013
Open Society, Others Issue Principles on Security, RTI
The Open Society Justice Initiative and 21 international organizations have issued “Global Principles on National Security and the Right to Information.” The 50 principles include: Information should be kept secret only if its disclosure poses “a real and identifiable risk of significant harm to a legitimate national security interest” (Principle 3) Information concerning serious violations of international […]
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10 June 2013
Guyana President Appoints Information Commissioner
The president of Guyana has appointed a former attorney general, Charles Ramson Sr., as the first Commissioner of Information under the 2011 Access to Information Act. The mid-May appointment by President Donald Ramotar would appear to be step toward putting the law into effect, although it remains unclear if that is the case. Under the […]