News
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10 February 2012
Nepal Backs Off Implementing Controversial Access Restrictions
The government of Nepal has decided not to implement a controversial classification scheme following strong objections from civil society groups that it would undercut access to information. The prime minister has “assured” the leaders of groups protesting the planned changes that there will be wider stakeholders’ consultation before having new classification, according to an announcement […]
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10 February 2012
EU Presidency Seeks Solution on Controversial Access Rules
By Staffan Dahllöf Dahllöf is co-editor of Wobbing Europe, where this article first appeared. The Danish EU-presidency has taken unusual steps to promote adoption of new access rules: Member countries have been summoned to conflict talks, before there is an open conflict. The aim is to facilitate an update of regulation 1049/2001, the soon to […]
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10 February 2012
Access Issues Being Debated in Context of Rio Conference
By Carole Excell Excell is Senior Associate, The Access Initiative, World Resources Institute The Rio+20 Conference, the largest conference on sustainable development in 10 years, is only five months away. A first round of informal negotiations on the “Outcome Document” text just concluded in New York. This document will form the basis of the official […]
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10 February 2012
Bangladesh Court Upholds Penalty for Impeding Access
The High Court of Bangladesh on Feb. 8 upheld an Information Commission fine for a government official who refused to provide information under the 2009 Right to Information Act. The court rejecting a petition filed by a government official challenging the Commission’s decision to fine him Tk. 1,000 ($12). The ruling was hailed as the […]
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10 February 2012
Political Appointments in Indian State Stir Objection
The appointment of eight information commissioners in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has sparked objections that they are unqualified. Four of the announced commissioners are politicians in the ruling Congress party. The others include three retired or current civil servants and a senior journalist with party ties, according to media summaries. One media report, in India […]
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10 February 2012
FOI Notes: Research in EU, US, Canada; Consultancy
Research: “Transparency and Trust. An experimental study of online disclosure and trust in government,” by Stephan van Grimmelikhuijsen. The full text can also be accessed via the link (warning: it is a large file). From abstract: “The experiments show that transparency is merely a ‘hygiene factor’: it does not contribute to higher levels of trust […]
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6 February 2012
Aquino FOI Bill Sparks Debate, Amendment Ideas
Now that Philippine President Benigno Aquino has submitted his freedom of information bill, proposals to expand it have surfaced and critics are calling it too timid. FOI advocates had known the bill would fall below their expectations, but decided to compromise in order to fulfill a decade-old goal of passing a FOI law. Proponents in the Congress continue […]
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6 February 2012
Indonesia Groups Appeal Denial of Water Agreement
A group of Indonesian NGOs led by the People’s Coalition on the Right to Water (KRuHA) is appealing to the National Information Commission the government’s refusal to provide details about the privatization of the water utility in Jakarta. The groups have been seeking access to the agreement that provides the framework for the production and […]
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6 February 2012
State Actions Undermine Right to Information in India
Some Indian states are making it harder for applicants to use the Right to Information law, according to a series of recent news reports. To the distress of RTI activists, states are: – imposing higher fees, – requiring statements of justification for requests, – asking that photographs accompany applications, and – making appeals administratively slower. […]
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6 February 2012
Nepalese Court Continues Stay Order on Access Rules
The Supreme Court of Nepal on Feb. 5 extended an order to delay implementation of a government effort to deny access to 140 types of information. Justices Girish Chandra Lal and Prakash Osti “gave continuity” to a Jan. 31 stay order previously issued by Justice Baidhya Nath Upadhyay. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) Critics have charged […]
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6 February 2012
President Medvedev Says Russia Should Join OGP
Russian President President Dmitry Medvedev Feb. 6 suggested that Russia should consider joining the Open Government Partnership, according to a Russian media report. “I believe it stands to reason for us to consider participation in this [initiative],” Medvedev said, according to the RioNovosti story. “Let’s look into it,” he said. Medvedev said at the same […]
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6 February 2012
OGP Invites Private Sector Attendance in Brasilia
The Open Government Partnership Feb. 4 invited private sector companies to attend its April 16-18 annual meeting in Brasilia, Brazil. Last month the OGP issued a call for civil society participation at the meeting which also will be attended by representatives of the 52 member governments. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) The OGP’s latest invitation indicated […]
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4 February 2012
OGP to Add Another African Member to Steering Group
The Open Government Partnership (OGP) Governance Working Group has recommended that a representative from an African government be added to the Steering Committee. The group also said that “all” OGP meetings will take place under Chatham House rules, with remarks being non-attributable to participants. This was clarified by an OGP official as not applicable to […]
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3 February 2012
India Proposes RTI Act Exemption on Nuclear Safety
The government of India has proposed to amend the Right to Information Act to exclude from coverage any nuclear safety agencies created in the future. The government introduced the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill (NSRA Bill) in September 2011, but its RTI impact has just been highlighted by RTI activists. The bill seeks to add […]
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3 February 2012
Liberian Court Urged to Make Disclosures Under FOI Law
Liberia’s Criminal Court ‘A’ has so far declined to disclose evidence in a media-related case, prompting a complaint by the Press Union of Liberia about the denial under the Freedom of Information Act of Liberia. “The Union says it is beyond 60 days since it requested the Court to provide copies of the species of […]
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3 February 2012
Agnew Approved as New Scottish Commissioner
The Scottish Parliament Feb. 1 has approved Rosemary Agnew as the next Scottish Information Commissioner. If approved by the Queen, a final formality, she will assume the job in April for a six-year term. Agnew succeeds Kevin Dunion, who retires later this month. Agnew has been the Chief Executive of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission, which […]
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3 February 2012
Nigerian State of Ogun Will Pass FOI Law, AG Says
The Ogun state government in Nigeria intends to pass a freedom of information bill on Feb. 29, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Wemimo Ogunde said recently, according to media reports. Ogune made the disclosure Feb. 1 at the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop on FOI, according to an article in Daily Trust by […]
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3 February 2012
Sierra Leone President Again Supports FOI Bill
Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma Jan. 28 reiterated his support for freedom of information legislation on the occasion of the review of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Forum, Country Review Report of Sierra Leone at the 16th Summit of the Committee of participating Heads of State and Government of the APRM in Addis […]
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3 February 2012
Ghana Makes Plans for Open Data Initiative
The Ghana government in collaboration with World Wide Web Foundation (WWWF) has announced plans for a Ghana Open Data Initiative to make government data more available. William Tevie, Director General of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), signed a memorandum of understanding between the government and the WWWF, a nongovernmental organization, in Accra on Jan. […]
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3 February 2012
FOI Notes: Open Data Book, U.S. Reports, U.K. Guide
Open Data: Josh Tauberer, self-described as “software developer, entrepreneur, and civic hacker based in Washington, DC” has posted a work-in-progress “book” on the history of open government data and providing open data principles. United States: The New York Times writes about getting a response to a 1997 FOI request and the problem of delayed responses. United […]