What’s New
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14 May 2015
A FOIA for Italy Could Be a Weak One
By Claudio Cesarano The author is the Communication and Research Intern at Access Info Europe. A draft freedom of information law currently pending before the Italian parliament would not significantly improve the right to information in Italy. Right to information specialists at Access Info Europe have given the draft law a score of 68 points […]
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14 May 2015
Pace on Body Camera Bills Slow; Restrictions Advance
By Toby McIntosh Only two state legislatures so far have passed bills restricting the disclosure of videos taken with cameras worn by police officers as the topic has proven hot to handle. Debates on the competing claims for transparency and privacy remain ongoing in many state legislatures, however, with advancing bills all tilting in the […]
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14 May 2015
FOI Notes: Nigeria, India, Pakistan, US, Open Data, Ireland, EU, OGP
Nigeria: Right to Know Nigeria has created a FoI Case Tracker. The group also issued an animated pamphlet titled “FoI Act; Your Right to Know.” United States: The House Oversight Committee is soliciting stories about experiences with FOIA, providing an online feedback form. The committee also asked nearly two dozen public interest groups to share their […]
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13 May 2015
Senate in Chile Considering Strengthening Access Law
The Chilean Senate is studying draft amendments to strengthen the access to information law. The Special Committee on Probity and Transparency has under analysis a draft that will change the status of public servants e-mails, making them subject to disclosure. Other changes would expand the reach of the law to cover entities that perform functions […]
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13 May 2015
UK Prince Memos Released; FOIA Changes Threatened
As the British public finally got a look at memos sent by Prince Charles to government ministers, the re-elected Conservative government indicated its intention to tighten control of the freedom of information law. The release of the royal memos culminating a 10-year legal battle fought by The Guardian newspaper, which finally got to describe the […]
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13 May 2015
OGP Director Linda Frey Resigns After Two Years
Linda Frey, Executive Director of the Open Government Partnership Support Unit since January 2013, announced her resignation May 13. The Steering Committee, which met in Mexico in mid-April, urged her to stay, according to an OGP official. She will remain the position for the next three to four months. “After that, I look forward to […]
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13 May 2015
Philippines Coalition Urges House to Work on FOI Bill
The Right to Know, Right Know! Coalition in the Philippines is urging the House of Representatives to “work with a little more speed and focus” on long-pending freedom of information bill. The FOI bill “is on the cusp of passage,” observed the Coalition in a May 12 statement tempered with caution. “But while the FOI […]
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13 May 2015
US Plans New System for Classifying Information
By Steven Aftergood The author directs the Federation of American Scientists’ Project on Government Secrecy and writes Sececy News, where this article first appeared May 10. After years of preparation, the executive branch is poised to adopt a government-wide system for designating and safeguarding unclassified information that is to be withheld from public disclosure. The […]
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13 May 2015
WJP Authors Answer Questions About New Index
The authors of a new index of government openness have responded to questions about their methodology and indicated eagerness to hone their measurement of access to information. Juan Carlos Botero and Alejandro Ponce of the World Justice Project have written an article to amplify and explain the WJP Open Government Index. After the announcement of […]
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13 May 2015
Leak Causes Zambian Leader To Resist Access Legislation
Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu has voiced reluctance to support access to information legislation in the wake of a disclosure that his administration kept a loan from China secret. Lungu on May 10 objected to an article in The Post that the government is hiding a $192 million loan from a Chinese weapons manufacturer for security […]
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13 May 2015
South Africa Sets Stage to Implement Secrecy Law
The South African government appears to be making plans to implement the so-called Secrecy Bill. President Jacob Zuma has delayed signing the controversial legislation for 18 months, but a recent news report said State Security Minister David Mahlobo has been drafting regulations to implement the Protection of State Information Bill. The report by Andisiwe Makinana […]
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12 May 2015
The RTI Act-Present Status
By Shailesh Ghandhi The author is a right to information activist and a former commissioner of the Indian Central Information Commission. This statement was issued May 11. The RTI Act has caught the imagination of people and the way it has spread is being appreciated and admired around the world. A great change has come […]
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7 May 2015
Ghana RTI Advocates Plan New Push for Stalled Bill
The Coalition for the Right to Information and the Ghana Journalists Association have announced plans for a “pass the bill now” campaign. The groups hope to encourage the government to pass the long-stalled RTI bill into law. “The implications for not passing a law for citizens’ right to information are a sign that the political […]
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7 May 2015
OGP Upgrades Standard for Star-Rated Commitments
The Open Government Partnership is making is slightly harder for member countries to earn a “star” rating for its commitments. “In order to further incentivize a race-to-the-top in OGP and to ensure that starred commitments are in fact model commitments, starting in 2015 the IRM will raise the standards for what can qualify for a […]
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7 May 2015
PPP Calls for Adoption of Right to Information Bill
The Pakistan People’s Party has called for adoption of the Right to Information (RTI) Bill, an appeal welcomed by a key advocacy group, though it noted that the PPP didn’t push through an RTI bill when it was in power. In recent times, an RTI bill was adopted by a Senate standing committee but it […]
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7 May 2015
Jamaica Minister Pledges Introduction of ATI Bill
Jamaica’s minister with responsibility for information, Sandrea Falconer, has said that a new Access to Information Act will be tabled and passed in the current financial year. Falconer made her comments to The Gleaner, at the same time dismissing opposition assertions that the government was reluctant to propose ATI amendments. Opposition spokeswoman on Information Olivia […]
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7 May 2015
Namibean Group Urges Consultation on FOI Bill
The Namibia Media Trust has called for consultation with the government on freedom of information legislation. Gwen Lister, chairperson of the Namibia Media Trust (NMT) issued a statement on World Press Freedom Day saying that the media still struggles to access information from official sources, which in turn inhibits good investigative journalism and ethical practices. “While […]
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7 May 2015
New Mexican Law Enters Into Force; IFAI Gets New Name
The new Mexican General Law of Transparency and Access to Public Information (LGTAIP) entered into force May 5, according to an announcement by the Federal Institute for Access to Information and Data Protection (IFAI) which is changing its name to National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI). The announcement […]
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7 May 2015
Opposition Party Slams Modi Government on CIC Vacancy
Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi has attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “blatant U-turn” on the issue of transparency, according to news reports such as one in the Economic Times and another in the Hindustan Times. She said May 6 in Parliament that Modi’s government is “deliberately” not filling the post of Chief Information […]
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7 May 2015
Cayman Islands FOI Law Rated 13th in the World
The Cayman Islands freedom of information law ranks 13th in the world, according to an evaluation conducted by the Centre for Law and Democracy and AccessInfo Europe. The Cayman Islands law scored 88 points on a 150 point system used to rank 102 countries’ laws. It was the first time the Cayman Islands law was […]