What’s New
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16 August 2013
FOI Notes: Surveillance, Research, Model OGP; U.S., EU, Australia
Human Rights and Communications Surveillance: Access, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Privacy International are leading a new initiative focused on disseminating new international principles around human rights and communications surveillance.”Called the International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance, approximately 100 NGOs from around the world have already shown support and many of […]
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16 August 2013
UK ICO Issues Guidance on Requests for Personal Data
The United Kingdom Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on Aug. 8 published new guidance for organizations to help them deal with requests from individuals for their data. Under the Data Protection Act, anyone has the right to find out what information an organization holds about them by making a “subject access request.” This allows individuals to […]
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14 August 2013
Texas OKs Message Boards for Officials to Communicate
The U.S. state of Texas has adopted a new law permitting government officials to establish online messaging systems to communicate. Another bill passed by the legislature defines the standards that governs the disclosure of public officials’ emails and brings state contractors under the Public Information Act. The messaging legislation (Senate bill 1297) authorizes electronic written […]
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13 August 2013
Indian Government Offers Bill to Exempt Parties from RTI
Legislation was introduced Aug. 12 in the Indian lower house of parliament (Lok Sabha) by the United Progressive Alliance to exempt political parties from the Right to Information Act. The bill would a June 3, 2013, order of the Central Information Commission deeming India’s six national political parties to be “public authorities” under the RTI […]
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13 August 2013
Punjab Seeks Comment on New Version of RTI Bill
The Government of Punjab, a state in Pakistan, has requested public comment on “The Punjab Freedom of Information Act 2013.” The draft was issued Aug. 7 and is available here and here. It has been approved in principle by the Cabinet. Public comments were requested within 15 days to dgprmh@gmail.com. In the state of Khyber […]
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13 August 2013
FOI Notes: Survey, Open Economics, Open Data, UNESCO Research Call
Survey: “Should FOIA requesters see responsive documents before they go online?” – the question posed in a Sunlight Foundation online poll. OGP: The Open Government Partnership has started a Bright Spots Competition to identify and showcase open government initiatives at th Oct. 31- Nov. 1 Annual Summit. Visit the Bright Spot Competition page for details. Open Economics Principles: The […]
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9 August 2013
Tackling Thorny Issues of Open Government at the OGP London Summit
This post was originally published Aug. 9 on the Open Government Partnership UK website, created by nongovernmental organizations and hosted by Open Rights Group, The Open Government Partnership summit in London is gaining momentum, as evidenced by the growing engagement from civil society organisations. The OGP is reaching an important milestone, with the closure of […]
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5 August 2013
Bolivian Government Proposes Transparency Law
The Bolivian government has forwarded a Transparency and Access to Information Law to the Bolivian Congress. The proposal (text in Spanish) has generated some criticisms, such as from journalists, the Asociación Nacional de la Prensa, and the Bolivian ombudsman. Among other things, there are concerns that environmental impact assessment information would not be released and […]
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5 August 2013
Stage Set for Consideration of Philippines FOI Bill
A few new actors have been given lead roles in the long-running saga in the Philippines over whether a freedom of information bill can pass Congress. Rep. Jorge Almonte will chair the committee on public information, which last year delayed action on the bill under the chairmanship of Rep. Ben Evardone. FOI supporters had pushed […]
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5 August 2013
Bangladesh should further proactive disclosures
By Suchismita Goswami The writer is Project Officer, Access to Information Programme, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. This article was published July 29 in The Daily Star. Bangladesh enacted its Right to Information Act in 2009. However more than three years following its enactment, very little is known about what the law means and what it […]
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5 August 2013
Policy Research and Access to Information in Venezuela
The following post was first published in Venezuelan Politics and Human Rights, a blog hosted by the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), “a unique resource for journalists, policymakers, scholars, activists and others interested in understanding Venezuelan politics and human rights.” The posting is an interview by David Smilde, moderator of the blog, a WOLA […]
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5 August 2013
FOI Notes: Research, Contest, U.S. Aid, Employment
Research: Transparency is the topic of seven articles in the July issue of Development Policy Review. The “Gaps and Conclusions” section of the first article, by John Gaventa and Rosemary McGee , says: While the evidence base on accountability and transparency may be underdeveloped, this does not mean that either it or TAIs themselves are […]
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5 August 2013
Harvard Awarded $8.1 Million for Transparency Research
Harvard University researchers have been awarded $8.1 million for a five-year project to research the impact of community transparency and accountability initiatives on health and other social sector outcomes, beginning in Indonesia and Tanzania. The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University announced that it […]
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5 August 2013
First Guyana Information Commissioner Sworn In
Former Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Justice Charles Ramson was sworn in July 15 as Commissioner of Information by President Donald Ramotar. The Commissioner of Information post was created by the Access to Information Act of 2011, passed in September 2011. The appointment of the commissioner is another step toward implementation of the law, […]
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2 August 2013
Irish Government Advances Bill to Amend FOI Statute
The Irish government has unveiled the text of its bill to change the Freedom of Information law, and while the expanded coverage and other provisions are generating applause from the pro-access community, one clause is raising eyebrows. The provision says agencies should take “reasonable steps” to search electronic records, but would not be required “to […]
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2 August 2013
40 Recommendations Made in Report on Australian FOI Law
By Peter Timmins Timmins is an Australian lawyer and consultant who works on FOI and privacy protection issues in Sydney, NSW. His report first appeared Aug. 2 in his Open and Shut blog. Attorney General Mark Dreyfus today released the Hawke report on the review of the operation of the Freedom of Information Act and the […]
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2 August 2013
Nigerian Official Urges Doubling of Reply Period
The head of the Nigerian civil service, Bukar Aji, on July 30 recommended that the 2011 Freedom of Information Act be amended to allow 14 days instead of seven to respond to requests. Aji spoke at National Conference on the Freedom of Information Act, organized by the Right to Know Initiative, in Abuja. He said […]
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2 August 2013
Indian Cabinet Approves Bill to Exempt Parties from RTI
The Indian Cabinet Aug. 1 approved proposed amendments to the Right to Information Act to nullify an order of the Central Information Commission making the six national political parties subject to the RTI law. The draft amendments are expected to be introduced in the monsoon session of Parliament beginning on Aug. 5. The consensus among […]
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2 August 2013
Guernsey Approves Code on Access to Information
The British dependency of Guernsey has approved an agreed to an access to information code. According to a BBC report, “The code falls short of a Freedom of Information Act like the one in place in the UK and being introduced in the Isle of Man and Jersey.” The new code includes 15 exemptions, a […]
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2 August 2013
OGP, IFIs Back Openness as Important Development Goal
The Open Government Partnership Steering Committee has written to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urging that the creation of open and accountable public institutions be made part of the next round of international development goals, according to a blog post by Joe Powell, OGP Support Unit Deputy Director. A similar emphasis is contained in a […]