News
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14 October 2010
POIB Protestors March in Cape Town; Hearing Set
Opponents to the South African government’s proposed Protection of Information Bill (POIB) law staged a march against it Oct. 12, one of numerous protest events held in advance of a further hearing in parliament on the controversial bill. The rally at the Parliament building in Cape Town was organized by the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), […]
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8 October 2010
Morocco Begins to Draft Access to Information Law
The Secretary General of Morocco’s Ministry of the Modernization of Public Service told a newspaper Sept. 28 that an inter-ministerial committee has been established to draft a law on access to information. The proposal is expected to be prepared mid-2011 when Morocco will host the 4th anti-corruption conference of the countries party to the UN […]
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8 October 2010
Obama Signs Bill Eliminating New FOIA Exemption
President Obama Oct. 4 signed legislation to repeal a controversial exemption to the Freedom of Information Act that was tucked in a major financial reform law passed recently. Critics objected to Section 929I of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which said the Securities and Exchange Commission would not be compelled to disclose […]
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8 October 2010
U.S. Supreme Court to Consider Corporate Privacy
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to review of the Third Circuit appeals court decision that a company has a right of privacy under the U.S. freedom of information law. In the case of FCC v. AT&T (No. 09-1279) the Third Circuit found the company had a right of privacy under Exemption 7(C), which protects […]
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8 October 2010
Report Evaluates Disclosures About Extractive Resources
A new ranking system for public disclosure of revenues from oil, gas and mineral extraction puts Brazil and Norway at the top of the list, and Turkmenistan last. The 56-page report on 41 countries was announced Oct. 6 by the Revenue Watch Institute (RWI) and Transparency International (TI). The report “compares how much the 41 […]
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8 October 2010
Sierra Leone President Mentions FOI Legislation
Ernest Bai Koroma, president of the Republic of Sierra Leone, in his opening address to Parliament Oct. 8, said that when parliament approves freedom of information legislation “citizens’ access to information from public officials will be revolutionized.” The mention of FOI legislation was part of his lengthy agenda described to parliament. Koroma said his Cabinet […]
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8 October 2010
Brazilian Press Skimps on FOI Coverage, Study Says
The press “has paid little attention to what is widely believed to be the most important measure in promoting governmental transparency,” a proposed freedom of information law, according to a study by Greg Michener in an article on the blog run by the Knight Center, a U.S. organization supporting journalists. “The relatively weak news media […]
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8 October 2010
Report Scores Openness of Chinese Cities, Provinces
A detailed new report is critical of the openness of Chinese cities and provincial governments, although the principal author says improvement is evident since last year. “More than half of China’s city and provincial governments surveyed have failed open-information requirements, while only two out of 43 organs under China’s cabinet managed to pass marginally, a report […]
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8 October 2010
New Zealand Commission Recommends Changing Law
The New Zealand Law Commission has recommended more proactive release of information and eliminating the right of Cabinet or local authorities to veto a release order, according to media accounts. The Law Commission on Sept. 20 released an issues paper, “The Public’s Right To Know,” and requested public comments by Dec. 10. The commission recommended […]
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5 October 2010
Liberian President Sirleaf Signs FOI Law; Regional First
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has signed into law the Liberian Freedom of Information Bill. Presidential Press Secretary Cyrus Badio told a news conference Oct. 4 that the president has fowarded the signed FOI law to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Liberia to be printed into a hand bill. The signing of the FOI […]
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1 October 2010
Argentine Senate Passes Access to Information Bill
The Argentine Senate Sept. 29 passed an access to information law bill. The vote was 38 to 26. La Nacion described the debate (in Spanish). The House must now act. A House committee has been considering another version of the bill, but activists said the House is now expectd to vote on the Senate bill. […]
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1 October 2010
Action on FOI Law Pledged by Mozambique Assembly
The Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, has assured the Mozambican branch of the regional press freedom body MISA (Media Institute of Southern Africa) that a bill on freedom of information will be debated in the near future, according to a news account. Executive director of MISA-Mozambique, Alfredo Libombo, said Sept. 28 that all […]
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1 October 2010
Proposed Budget Cuts Imperil FOI Law in Mexico
Budget cuts proposed by the Mexican president would degrade the activities of the Federal Access to Information Institute (IFAI), according to comments made as supporters of the Mexican access to information law conducted dozens of workshops and other activities this week. News about developments in Mexico is available on the Mexico Informate website. The president’s […]
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29 September 2010
Sri Lankan Government Blocks FOI Bill, Promises Own
The Sri Lankan government Sept. 23 said it is drafting a freedom of information law, according to media reports. Sri Lanka’s main opposition United National Party was asked to withdraw a private member’s freedom of information bill. UNP legislator Karu Jayasuriya moved to present a bill, but Chief Government Whip Minister Dinesh Gunawardena asked the […]
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29 September 2010
FOIA Notes: Study on Southern Africa, RTK Day
A new study by MISA says Southern Africa is home to some of the most secretive government and public institutions in the world. The findings, based on research conducted by the Media Institute of Southern Aftrica between June and August 2010 across nine countries, “reveal non-transparent and overly secretive public institutions, making it difficult for citizens to access […]
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29 September 2010
Ombudsman Urges More Transparency by EU
European Ombudsman P. Nikiforos Diamandouros “called on the EU administration to be as transparent and citizen-friendly as possible,” according to a press release about his Sept. 28 speech in Brussels. “Only if European citizens feel that the EU administration is transparent, accessible and accountable, will they develop the necessary trust and willingness actively to participate […]
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29 September 2010
UK Official Praises FOI Law; Study Calls It Oversold
United Kingdom Information Commissioner Christopher Graham marked International Right to Know Day with by praising the benefits of the UK law, but a new study says that all of the law’s promised virtues are not yet apparent. Graham said the law has “paid for itself many times over in the beneficial impact it has had […]
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29 September 2010
Groups Unveil Rating Tool for Right to Information Laws
A new tool for evaluating and comparing national right to information frameworks was launched Sept. 28 by Access Info Europe and the Centre for Law and Democracy. “The Right to Information (RTI) Legislation Rating Methodology is a tool to assess the overall legal framework for the right to information, based on how well that framework […]
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23 September 2010
Campaigns for FOI Laws Under Way World-Wide
Active efforts to pass new or amended freedom of information laws are ongoing in more than a dozen countries, according to a FreedomInfo.org tally. The number suggests the continuation of the trend toward more national FOI laws, but the landscape is not entirely friendly for pro-transparency activists. In South Africa, the government has proposed to […]
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23 September 2010
Ukraine Parliament Delays Access to Information Law
The Ukrainian parliament has delayed consideration of a proposed law on access to public information, and the bill faces significant obstacles, according to informed observers. Action was postponed in July despite expressions of support for a new law by the president and the speaker of the parliament, they told FreedomInfo.org. After the adoption of an […]