News
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21 December 2012
OGP to Recruit Two More Senior IRM Advisors
The Open Government Partnership will pick two more senior advisors to help guide the Independent Review Mechanism by which national action plans will be evaluated, according to recently published minutes of an OGP Steering Committee meeting held Dec. 4 in London. The OGP will seek nominations from Asia and Latin America. The two additional senior […]
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21 December 2012
FOI Notes: Measuring Transparency, Calls for Papers, Reports, More
Measuring Transparency: “What is Government Transparency?: New Measures and Relevance for Quality of Government,” by Monika Bauhr and Marcia Grimes of The Quality of Government Institute, Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg. The abstract says: As policymakers and researchers focus increasing attention on the importance of government transparency for accountability and good governance more […]
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21 December 2012
Campaign for FOI Objects to UK Government Proposals
The Campaign for Freedom of Information in the United Kingdom Dec. 18 issued a statement objecting that government plans to amend the Freedom of Information Act “would make it harder for requesters to obtain answers to new, complex or contentious FOI requests.” As explained by the Campaign: The government is proposing to make it easier […]
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20 December 2012
New Zealand Viewed Joining OGP as Resource Drain
Joining the Open Government Partnership was viewed as a low priority and a potential drain on resources in a memo prepared in February 2012 within the New Zealand government. New Zealand has not joined the OGP. This prompted Andrew Ecclestone, a researcher and consultant on freedom of information, to request documents relevant to the government’s deliberations […]
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17 December 2012
Philippine House to Delay Work FOI Bill Until 2013
By Toby McIntosh The Philippines House won’t take up a freedom of information bill until next year, when there will be only a two-week window for a vote. Senate action is completed now, but the bill’s biggest hurdle historically has been in the House. The House plans to returns Jan. 21, 2013, but the session will […]
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17 December 2012
Kenyan Minister Looks to Compel Publication of Data
The minister responsible for Kenya’s open data portal says government agencies are failing to supply necessary data, according to a report by in The Sunday Nation. “Information and Communications permanent secretary Bitange Ndemo told the Sunday Nation that the ministry was getting frustrated because of the low amount of data supplied by organizations,” according to […]
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17 December 2012
FOI Notes: Webinar on Redress Mechanisms, Jobs
Webinar: A webinar on “Grievance Redress Mechanisms” will be held on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012 at 8:00 – 9:00 AM EST (13:00 – 14:00 GMT / 18:30-19:30 IST). The webinar is co-sponsored by Global Integrity and the World Bank Institute. Register here. Jobs: The Web Foundation has several open positions for jobs that can be […]
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17 December 2012
Canadian Commissioner Extends Period for Comment
The Information Commissioner of Canada has extended the deadline for comments on modernizing the almost 30-year-old Access to Information Act. The “open dialogue” will now run until Jan. 31, 2013. About a dozen submissions have been made since the effort was begun Sept. 28 by commissioner Suzanne Legault. She plans to provide recommendations to Parliament […]
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14 December 2012
Indian Commission Rules Attorney General Exempt
India’s Central Information Commission has ruled that the Office of the Attorney is not a public authority under Right to Information Act. The CIC order of Dec. 10 said the Attorney General’s position is unique because “he is standalone counsel of the Government of India.” “He renders legal advice to the Government of India which […]
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14 December 2012
Peru Decree Restricts National Security Information
The government of Peru Dec. 7 classified all information related to national security and defense as a state secret, also setting 15 years in prison as the punishment for violators. A report by Silvia Hiquera on the blog of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas (Spanish and Portuguese) says the Institute for Press […]
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14 December 2012
Fewer Information Requests Made in China, Report Says
The number of citizen requests for information in China has dropped because of impediments facing requesters, according to a new Peking University report. The government is releasing more information, according to the report, but key information about the budget, spending and collection of administrative fees is still missing. The report is described in a Dec. […]
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14 December 2012
FOI Legislation Delayed in Barbados, AG Says
The Attorney General of Barbados,?Adriel Brathwaite, has said that freedom of information legislation will be delayed, according to a report in the Stabroek News. He said the government still supports the legislation. A draft “ is presently with the Chief Parliamentary Counsel’s office and is one of the things that we would dearly love to […]
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14 December 2012
Kazakh FOI Legislation Stalls Without Key Sponsor Asanov
By Saule Mukhametrakhimova Mukhametrakhimova is Central Asia Editor for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting which published this article on Dec. 11. Reprinted with permission. A long-awaited bill on access to information in Kazakhstan is now highly unlikely to be passed this year as planned. Some of the civil society groups that invested great hopes […]
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14 December 2012
FOI Notes: Personnel Moves, FOI Tips, Job, Saga, Gift Idea
World Bank: Chris Vein, the Obama Administration’s deputy chief technology officer, is moving to the World Bank as its chief innovation officer for global information and communications technology development. United Kingdom: The Cabinet Office Dec. 13 announced the appointment of Paul Maltby as the new Director for Transparency and Open Data. “Paul will take up […]
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11 December 2012
Philippines House, Senate Move FOI Legislation Slightly
Both the Philippines House and the Senate have taken additional steps toward passing a freedom of information bill, but one of the biggest hurdles, passage by the full House, remains ahead, with the timing uncertain. On Dec. 11, the same House committee that approved the bill Nov. 27, was forced by its chairman to hold […]
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11 December 2012
El Salvador Court Rules Against President on Access
By Tania Lara This report is reprinted from the blog of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. (Spanish and Portuguese) El Salvador’s Supreme Court declared some of President Mauricio Funes’ September 2011 recommendations for the Access to Public Information Law unconstitutional, according to El Faro. The judges ruled that the Salvadoran president overstepped […]
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10 December 2012
South Africa to Create Information Regulator
A new “Information Regulator” to be created in South Africa will oversee the access to information law as well as a new data protection law, fulfilling a long-running goal of access to information activists. The development comes in the context of data protection legislation approved by the Parliament and expected to be signed into law […]
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10 December 2012
EU Court Denies Access to ECB Information on Greece
The General Court of the European Union has denied a news organization access to documents of the European Central Bank concerning the financial situation in Greece. The ruling states that the ECB may refuse access to a document where its disclosure would undermine the protection of the public interest. (See Nov. 29 press release.) Gabi […]
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10 December 2012
FOI Notes: Viewpoints, Job, Canada, Open Data, Survey
Viewpoints: Stanford University professor Jeremy Weinstein and Princeton University professor Joshua Goldstein, write an article, “The Benefits of a Big Tent: Opening Up Government in Developing Countries,” as a reply to Harlan Yu and David Robinson’s The New Ambiguity of “Open Government.” The abstract says Bringing open data and open government under a single banner, Yu […]
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10 December 2012
New Fund Hopes to Start Making Grants in Mid-2013
The new $45 million initiative “Making All Voices Count” expects to begin making grants by mid-2013, according to an official with the U.S. Agency for International Development, one of the four donors. The $45 million will be dispensed over four years to support innovative ideas for how to help citizens and governments use mobile and […]