What’s New
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13 May 2013
OGP Asks Governments to Contribute $25,000 Each
Seeking to address financial concerns, the leaders of the Open Government Partnership have decided to ask all 58 members to chip in at least $25,000. The slow flow of funding from governments was discussed at the OGP meetings in London April 22-24, according to the recently released minutes. The OGP receives substantial foundation support, but […]
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10 May 2013
Hungarian President Sends FOI Bill Back to Parliament
Hungarian President Janos Áder has told Parliament to reconsider a controversial law diminishing the access to information law, though some critics would have preferred that he had referred it to the constitutional court for review. Parliament hastily approved a bill April 30 sponsored by the ruling Fidesz party, generated considerable objection from pro-transparency groups. (See […]
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10 May 2013
Moldova Not Implementing RTI Law, World Bank Reports
Little has been done to implement Moldova’s 2000 right to information law, according to a report prepared for the World Bank. “After almost a decade, the RTI system has been very inadequately institutionalized,” according to an examination of Moldova that was done as part of a broader World Bank report of the implementation of right […]
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10 May 2013
Critics Fault Guidelines for Proactive Disclosure in India
The Indian government’s recent guidelines on proactive disclosure are diluted, right to information activists said May 7. Members of the National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI) including Anjali Bhardwaj, Nikhil Dey and Venkatesh Nayak said that the government had overlooked other recommendations from the government-sponsored task force that studied the issue. Not included were […]
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10 May 2013
U.S. Orders More Usability for Government Data; Inventory
President Barrack Obama May 9 issued an Executive Order and a Policy Directive requiring that data generated going forward by the government be made available in open, machine-readable formats. Agencies also must create and maintain an “enterprise data inventory” that accounts for datasets used in the agency’s information systems” and indicates which are available to the […]
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10 May 2013
FOI Notes: EU, New Index, FOI Timelines, FOI History, More
European Union: Access Info issues a citizen-friendly Guide on Access to EU Documents and calls on members of the public and civil society organizations to exercise their rights and file access to documents requests. Resource Governance Index: The Revenue Watch Institute will unveil a new “ Resource Governance Index,” a collection of research, rankings and analysis that […]
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10 May 2013
First Commissioner Named by President in Yemen
Yemen President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadion May 6 appointed Samir Amin Noman as the country’s first information commissioner The appointment came about a year after passage of the new FOI law. Noman is an information systems specialist and previously worked for the Social Fund for Development, according to an article in the Yemen Times. “We […]
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10 May 2013
Budget Cutbacks Affecting Cayman Island Commissioner
The Cayman Islands information commissioner has reported that “severe” budgets cuts are preventing checks on whether public officials are complying with the freedom of information law, according to an article by Brent Fuller in The Compass. The cuts have been “seriously felt” this year by the five- person information commissioner’s office which now lacks a […]
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3 May 2013
Hungary Restricts FOI Law; OGP Membership Questioned
The Hungarian Parliament has adopted restrictive amendments to its freedom of information law that are being criticized by pro-transparency activists. The main change would allow the government to reject “excessive” requests for information, a standard critics called too vague. In addition, the changes appear to make the FOI law not applicable when disclosure policies are included […]
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3 May 2013
India Close to Choosing Who Will Do Study of RTI Law
The Indian government is close to choosing who will conduct a major review of the fight to information law. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has shortlisted 16 organizations for the “360 degree study,” according to a report, with the names, on the website of the RTI Foundation of India. The selected organizations have […]
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3 May 2013
Thwarted Liberian Group Seeks Asset Disclosures
A Liberian group has gone to court in an effort to compel the release of the asset declarations of public officials after being frustrated by the anti-corruption commission and the information commissioner. The Center for Media Studies and Peace Building (CEMESP) on April 29 filed a writ of Mandamus with the Supreme Court to compel […]
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3 May 2013
FOI Notes: Education, Asset Disclosure, Procurement
Education: The Hungarian grassroots student union Hallgatói Hálózat (Student Network) has started a blog that curates freedom of information requests related to higher education. The blog, titled Transparent Education, is using the Hungarian public freedom of information request service KiMitTud to track down the allegations of misuse of funds by university student governments. The blog’s author is Dániel G. Szabó. […]
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2 May 2013
Reforming FOI Laws in Asia Urged to Help Environment
Asian countries need to improve their freedom of information laws as one component of providing better environmental information to the public, according to a statement issued May 1 from a conference in Jakarta attended by “representatives of governments, international organizations, civil society organizations, and academia from China, Indonesia, Japan, Mongolia, Philippines and Thailand.” The issuance […]
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30 April 2013
U.S. Supreme Court Allows State to Limit Use of FOIA
The U.S. Supreme Court April 29 ruled that a state may prohibit non-state residents from using the state freedom of information law. The unanimous opinion upheld restrictions by the state of Virginia in a case, McBurney v. Young, No. 12-17, brought by a California man seeking property records for commercial clients and a Rhode Island […]
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26 April 2013
FOI Notes: Open Data, Open Contracting, Commentary
Commentary: Martin Tisne writes in his blog about why open government groups are not working better together? Much abbreviated answers: different languages, etc.; competition for limited resources; and “coordination, partnership is hard work!” He asks what can be done. Open Contracting: A blog post from Open Contracting on developing standards. Germany: The FOIA law is […]
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26 April 2013
India Issues Guidance on Doing Proactive Disclosure
The Indian government has issued guidelines for the proactive disclosure of information, but missed a few key items, according to a leading Indian advocacy group. The guidelines were prepared the Department of Personnel and Training with advice from a task force. The goal was to enhance implementation of the proactive disclosure obligations under Section 4 of […]
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26 April 2013
Monitoring Study Finds Poor Response Rates in Italy
The largest-ever audit of how responsive the Italian government is to requests for information has delivered an answer: “extremely low.” The study was jointly conducted by Diritto Di Sapere and Access-Info Europe. Some 300 requests were filed, but less than one quarter of the requests resulted in information being provided. “Only 27% of requests led […]
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26 April 2013
South African Assembly OKs Protection of Information Bill
South Africa’s National Assembly April 25 approved a modified, but still contentious, Protection of State Information Bill. The bill, three years in the making, passed on a vote of 189-74, with one abstention. Opponents have long indicated that they will test its constitutionality in court and reiterated their intention to do so. “The fight is […]
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25 April 2013
Scottish Agencies Consult Private Counsel for FOI
Scottish agencies have spent more than £400,000 ($520,000) for advice from private attorneys on how to respond to freedom of information requests, according to the New Scotsman April 21. More than 60 Scottish authorities sought counsel on how to apply the FOI exemptions and on reviews and appeals to the Scottish Information Commissioner, the newspaper’s […]
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25 April 2013
U.S. Cybersecurity Bill Includes FOI Exemption
Legislation recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), would provide companies liability protection for companies sharing cyberthreat information with the federal government. It also would exempt all such shared information from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. The bill is being criticized largely for allowing […]