News
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6 August 2007
U.S. Congress Passes Freedom of Information Act Reform Bill
The United States Senate Friday joined the House of Representatives in passing bipartisan legislation that will fix several of the most glaring problems with the U.S. Freedom of Information Act. The OPEN Government Act of 2007, authored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), overcame a hold placed by Senator Jon Kyl (R-Az) […]
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20 June 2007
In First Year, Germany’s Federal Agencies Struggle to Adapt to FOIA: But Requesters Off to Slow Start as Well
By Thoralf Schwanitz According to the first statistics published by the German Freedom of Information Commissioner, the federal administration is still struggling to adapt to the new openness required by Germany’s Freedom of Information Act, which entered into force on January 1, 2006. The new data also show that usage of the new law has […]
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21 May 2007
International FOI Advocates Protest Draft Amendments that would Weaken Bulgarian Public Information Act
Today, members the International Freedom of Information Advocates Network sent a letter to the Bulgarian National Assembly opposing draft amendments to the Bulgarian access to information law accepted by the Assembly earlier this month. Sixty-eight organizations and individuals from 37 different countries joined the letter of protest, arguing that the proposed amendments would significantly weaken […]
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19 April 2007
European Commission proposes reforms, seeks public input on greater access to EU documents
The European Commission yesterday published a Green Paper and launched a new public consultation process to reform existing rules on public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission records. This action represents an important step in the European Transparency Initiative, launched in November 2005 with the goal of a “‘high level of transparency’ to ensure […]
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15 March 2007
UNITED STATES: Sunshine Week 2007 brings major audit releases, congressional action on FOIA reform
As journalists and advocates across the United States celebrated the third annual Sunshine Week, several groups released landmark audits of government openness and Congress moved forward with significant reform measures to fix the broken FOIA system. March 11: Several journalism groups published a nationwide audit based on results from individuals in 37 states who sought […]
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12 October 2006
Inter-American Court Finds Fundamental Right of Access to Information
In the first decision of its kind from an international tribunal, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled yesterday that there is a fundamental human right to access government information. In the case of Claude Reyes and others vs. Chile, the Court found in favor of three environmental activists who in 1998 sought information from […]
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22 September 2006
Hungarian Government Releases NATO Secrecy Policy Document
UPDATE – 11 OCTOBER 2006 In response to a subsequent HCLU request, the Hungarian National Security Superintendence recently released an additional, previously secret NATO document entitled “Directive on the Security of Information,” dated 2005. The directive, enacted in support of NATO Security Policy C-M(2002)49, contains mandatory provisions related to classification, marking and handling of sensitive information, […]
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7 September 2006
Australia: High Court Sides with Bureaucrats, Rolling Back Right to Information
The Australian High Court yesterday in a decision in McKinnon v. Secretary, Department of Treasury dealt a crushing blow to the country’s 24-year-old Freedom of Information Law, setting a precedent that permits government bureaucrats to deny public requests for information on the basis of broad claims of potential harm. The High Court found that Treasurer […]
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31 August 2006
INDIA: Right to Information in Jeopardy
Just six months after the Right to Information Act came into force, the bureaucrats in the Indian government are on the verge of rolling back the Act’s progressive access provisions. In July 2006, without any public consultation, the Cabinet approved amendments to the RTI that exclude from disclosure file notings contained in many of the […]
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18 August 2006
Mexican Newsweekly Asks for Access to Contested Ballots, Uses Access to Information Act to Request Independent Count
By Emilene Martínez Morales and Jesse Franzblau, National Security Archive’s Mexico Project Editing Assistance Farrah Hassen and Michael Baney In the spirit of the right to know Mexican newsweekly Proceso has requested access to documents, tally sheets and ballots pertaining to the July 2, 2006 presidential elections via four different requests through Mexico’s Freedom of […]
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18 August 2006
In India, Right to Information in Jeopardy
Just six months after the Right to Information Act came into force, the bureaucrats in the Indian government are on the verge of rolling back the Act’s progressive access provisions. In July 2006, without any public consultation, the Cabinet approved amendments to the RTI that exclude from disclosure file notings contained in many of the […]
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14 July 2006
Documentos en Defensa del Medio Ambiente
Emilene Martinez-Morales para freedominfo.org Coordinadora de Programas de Transparencia, Proyecto Mexico, National Security Archive, George Washington University Inglés Grupos ambientalistas en México, desde el estado de Chiapas hasta Coahuila, están utilizando exitosamente la leyes de acceso a información impactando directamente políticas relacionadas con la ecología. El trabajo de estas organizaciones ha arrojado información clave en […]
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14 July 2006
Using FOI Laws in Mexico in Defense of the Environment
Español Environmental groups in Mexico, from the southern state of Chiapas to Coahuila on the U.S. border, are actively using access to information laws to directly impact ecological policies. Their work has shed light on the controversial La Parota Dam project in the state of Guerrero and uncovered irregularities in the administration of water services […]
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31 May 2006
Info Commissioners Meet in Manchester: 4th International Conference Separates Officials, NGOs
By Emilene Martinez-Morales for freedominfo.org Transparency Programs Coordinator, Mexico Project, National Security Archive, George Washington University Delegates from more than 40 countries participated this month in the 4th International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC), which took place in Manchester, United Kingdom, on May 22nd and May 23rd, hosted by the U.K. Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas. […]
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22 March 2006
Open government advocates, media, public celebrate Sunshine Week in the United States
During the week of March 12-18, the second annual Sunshine Week was observed in the United States, focusing national attention on the need for more open government and access to information. Sunshine Week was first celebrated in March 2005, when journalism groups, media companies, freedom of information and civil liberties advocates, librarians, civic groups, educators, […]
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17 March 2006
Jamaican lawmakers debate sanctions for non-compliance with Access to Information Act
During a hearing of the joint select committee of Parliament reviewing the success of the Access to Information (ATI) Act, Senator Trevor Monroe called attention to what he saw as a gap in the act: “we ought to plug the gap and apply exemplary sanctions to any authority that refuses to abide by this law […]
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10 February 2006
New secrecy bill threatens to undermine Albanian Right to Information Act
On February 10, 2006, the Open Society Justice Initiative and the Albanian group Center for the Development and Democratization of Institutions sent a letter to the Speaker of the Albanian Assembly, urging the Assembly to reject a new draft law on classified information. The Bill would create a new category of “restricted information,” which allows […]
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9 December 2005
Armenia: Freedom of Information Awards Winners of 2005 Announced
On December 9, 2005 the Freedom of Information Center (Yerevan, Armenia) announced its Freedom of Information Awards winners for 2005. Read more >>.
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18 August 2005
German Federal Data Protection Commissioner to become Freedom of Information Commissioner
Under the new German Freedom of Information Law, which will enter into force on January 1, 2006, the current Federal Data Protection Commissioner Peter Schaar will also assume the job of Federal Commissioner for Freedom of Information. Schaar has emphasized the importance of his new position to the successful implementation of the new law: Timeline: […]
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23 June 2005
Documents Released Under Public Information Disclosure Law Show Government Designated Tombs of Ancient Emperors Based on Questionable Evidence
Noboru Toike, a professor and expert on Imperial tombs, used Japan’s public information disclosure law to obtain academic studies conducted by the Imperial Household Agency regarding the discovery of at least 10 ancient tombs that the government has claimed hold the remains of emperors from the 5th through 13th centuries. The documents support the belief […]