News
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6 July 2012
Canadian Commissioner Plans to Review 1982 Access Law
Canadian Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault July 6 said her office will conduct a major review of Canada’s Access to Information Act. Her announcement came on the 30th anniversary of the act, which she said is showing its age. Canada “was a trailblazer in government transparency three decades ago,” according to the press release, but today […]
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6 July 2012
Pakistani Agencies Fail When Tested, CPDI Study Finds
Only two out of 54 Pakistani federal and provincial departments initially provided information information requested by the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) in a recent study. Twenty-five departments responded positively but after the applicant got help from the federal or provincial ombudsman. CPDI concluded that the federal and provincial governments should repeal the […]
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6 July 2012
Nigerian Court Orders Disclosure by Assembly
Amid a swirling controversy over President Goodluck Jonathan’s adamant “don’t give a damn” refusal to disclose his assets, a Nigerian judge has ordered the National Assembly to disclose information on salaries, emoluments, and allowances received by its members between 2007 and 2011. The president’s statement has arroused heated debate and even involved the U.S. embassy. […]
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6 July 2012
EU Parliament Access Ideas From Finnish Member
The European Parliament should take several steps to improve its own transparency, according to a Finnish parliamentarian who also lambasted the Danish presidency and the EU Commission for recently failing to compromise during negotiations on the EU access regulations. Finnish liberal Anneli Jäätteenmäki made her comments in a column published in Wobbing EU. She also […]
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6 July 2012
FOI Notes: Special Access Research, Twitter, Open Data
Special Access: A research paper by Toby Mendel, director of the Centre for Law and Democracy, on whether researchers should be granted special access to information privileges. Twitter: The first Twitter transparency report is issued, documenting government requests for user information and government requests received to withhold content, plush takedown notices received from copyright holders. The […]
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5 July 2012
National Security Archive Marks 46th FOIA Anniversary
Marking the 46th anniversary of President Johnson’s signing the Freedom of Information Act, the National Security Archive July 4 posted a compilation of 46 news headlines from the past year made possible by active and creative use of the FOIA. This representative sample, drawn from hundreds of FOIA stories reported by newspapers, blogs, broadcasters, and researchers, describe […]
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2 July 2012
Sunlight Foundation Issues Open Data Policy Guidelines
The Sunlight Foundation in the United States has issued a 33 point Guidelines for Open Data Policies that also address topics such as exceptions to disclosure and mandated electronic requests. The guidelines are designed to influence government thinking on open data, according to an introduction written by Laurenellen McCann, the National Policy Manager at the […]
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2 July 2012
Retiring Indian Commissioner Ghandi Says RTI Threatened
Shailesh Ghandhi, who will retire June 6 as an Indian Information Commissioner, is warning of threats facing the right to information law. In an interview with CNN IBN, Gandhi said, “I believe that so far the RTI Act has achieved far more than expected but there are serious threats most of us are not conscious […]
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29 June 2012
Indian CIC Elaborates on Access to Cabinet Papers
India’s Central Information Commission has ruled that Cabinet documents should be disclosed after a bill had been offered in Parliament and that requesters do not need to wait until after Parliament acts. The Commission ordered the Department of Atomic Energy to produce the Cabinet note, papers and file notings relating to the Nuclear Safety Regulatory […]
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29 June 2012
10,400 Requests in First Month of Brazilian Law
Brazil’s Federal Comptroller General has reported that citizens had filed approximately 10,400 requests in the first month in which the new access law has been effective, according to O Fórum de Direito de Acesso a Informações Públicas. Nearly 70 percent of these (7,400) had already been answered, or around 7,400 requests, according to the government date […]
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29 June 2012
EU Ombudsman Flags Transparency as Official Goal
The European Ombudsman, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, has published a set of five principles” to guide the conduct of EU civil servants that includes transparency. The fifth principle states: 5. Transparency Civil servants should be willing to explain their activities and to give reasons for their actions. They should keep proper records and welcome public scrutiny of […]
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29 June 2012
Bhutan Council Nixes Action on RTI Legislation
The Bhutan National Council June 27 rejected a proposal to take up a right to information bill as an “urgent bill,” according to a BBS news report. The proposal by member Sangay Khandu did not pass after receiving nine votes. Eight members abstained from voting and six voted “No,” according to BBS. The Council, however, […]
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29 June 2012
UK Issues White Paper on Open Data, FOIA
The United Kingdom on June 28 issued an Open Data White Paper detailing plans for publishing government data, including some mentions of the freedom of information law that led several observers to predict higher fees. While not proposing any changes to the FOI law at this time, the White Paper said that an expanded Code […]
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29 June 2012
FOI Notes: Research Sought, OGP Jobs, MENA Facebook, New Reports
Open Data: An “Open Data Academic Research” session will be taking place at OKFest this year, and proposals for papers are being requested.The session will bring together a community of researchers from a variety of disciplines who are exploring Open Data from a range of perspectives, including: mapping the movement, open data impacts, open data […]
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25 June 2012
Zambian Government Delays Offering Access Legislation
The Zambia government on June 25 postponed a planned June 26 unveiling of a freedom of information bill, according to media reports and emails to FreedomInfo.org. A bill has been developed by a task force of government and non-government representatives, but the delay was attributed to a desire by the Attorney General, who was out of […]
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25 June 2012
OGP Review: New Study, Continued Activism
With the submission of most national action plans in the past and their review in the future, recent news about the Open Government Partnership lately has centered on the first study of the action plans and efforts to persuade countries to join or to live up to OGP ideals. Activists in Ireland and Hungary are seeking […]
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25 June 2012
Azerbaijan Moves to Restrict Access to Corporate Data
The Azerbaijan parliament has voted to “considerably” restrict access to corporate information, in the words of one transparency activist there. Parliament June 12 adopted amendments that will curtail public access to information about the ownership of commercial entities, the amount of their charter capital, ownership structure, and other similar data, according to reports on the […]
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25 June 2012
Work on African Model Law Enters Next Stage
A model freedom of information law for Africa is on track for adoption in October, according to the organizers. The final sub-regional consultation was held in Tunis on June 16 and 17. “The consultation was the final in a series held by the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria on behalf of the African […]
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21 June 2012
South Africa Again Delays Work on Secrecy Bill
Approval of the controversial South African secrecy bill has been postponed again. With Parliament heading into recess, the National Council of Provinces extended until the end of September the reporting deadline of the committee examining the bill. Recently,, state security officials have objected not only to the bill, but to amendments proposed by members of […]
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21 June 2012
RIO+20 Showing Positive Signs on Transparency
Some positive moves on environmental transparency are being seen by activists in the text emerging from the RIO+20 conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The current text for the “outcome document” contains some language which opens up the door to further implement Principle 10, which deals with access to information, public participation and access to […]