What’s New
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3 December 2012
Perfect Score Club at OGP Has 16 Members Out of 58
Sixteen of the 58 members of the Open Government Partnership have the highest score they could have achieved on the OGP eligibility criteria, according to a FreedomInfo.org tally. Or, looked at another way, 42 countries did not get the top rating, although eligible to join. Eleven countries rated a 16 on the 16 point, four […]
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3 December 2012
Liberia: Freedom of Information Act and Executive Order 38
By Lamii Kpargoi Kpargoi is the Program Director of the Liberian Media Center (LMC). He is also a Liberian lawyer and political watcher. He lives and works in Monrovia and can be reached at lkpargoi@yahoo.com. This article first appeared in The News on Nov. 30 In recent weeks the rumor mill in Liberia, especially Monrovia […]
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3 December 2012
FOI Notes: Indigo Trust Funding, Canada, Nepal
Funding: The British-based Indigo Trust describes its support for tech driven transparency projects in African countries and ponders future directions in a blog post by William Perrin. Canada: Canadian Journalists for Free Expression launch a survey on desired reforms improve the Access to Information Act. Nepal: “A newly published report has busted the myth that […]
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3 December 2012
OGP Names Three Members to Review Mechanism
The Open Government Partnership on Nov. 30 announced three senior advisors to lead the Independent Reporting Mechanism The OGP chose: – Mary Robinson, Ireland’s first female President and former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, – Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese-born entrepreneur, and – Graca Machel, a Mozambican politician and wife of Nelson Mandela. They will serve on […]
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30 November 2012
South African Panel OKs Protection of Information Bill
A committee of South Africa’s lower chamber of Parliament Nov. 29 approved the committee report on the controversial protection of state information bill by a vote of 34-16. The action by the ad hoc committee of the National Council of Provinces came despite protests from opposition member and by protesters in the streets. The amended […]
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30 November 2012
Philippines House Nearing Debate on FOI Legislation
With the Philippines House poised to debate a freedom of information bill soon, its supporters are expected to propose an alternative to the controversial right-to-reply provision. A long debate is expected in the 285-member House of Representatives, according to Senior Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin, quoted in Sunstar. Still to come is a from House […]
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30 November 2012
Scottish Government Backs Off FOI Exemption for Royals
The Scottish Government has retreated from its proposal to exempt the royal family from the Scottish Freedom of Information law. The proposal, similar to a protection approved for the United Kingdom FOI law, was criticized recently by a Scottish legislative committee considering a government-proposed bill to amend the law in a variety of ways. Critics […]
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30 November 2012
Australian Group Creates Website for Requestors
The Right to Know website has been created in Australia, adding to the steady growth of such sites worldwide. About 20 similar sites now exist. The newest site, run by the Open Australia Foundation, “aims to make the process easy for people who lack training in information law” and to ”shame” public servants who are […]
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30 November 2012
FOI Notes: Ibero-American Agreement, Call for Papers
Ibero-American Agreement for Transparency and ATI: Drafted recently in Cadiz, Spain, by representatives from 19 Latin America countries and three from Europe (Spain, Portugal and Andorra), this document contains many other agreements along with the Transparency and ATI. The statements on transparency and access are on page 80. (pdf in Spanish) Drafted under the auspices […]
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29 November 2012
OGP to Focus on Reviews, Finances at London Meeting
The Open Government Partnership is running a little behind on country action plan reviews and needs member countries to come through with contributions to support a growing agenda. These and other topics are on the packed agenda for a Dec. 4 London Steering Committee meeting, according to documents released in advance. The goals of the […]
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27 November 2012
Philippines House Committee Approves FOI Legislation
A Philippines House committee Nov. 27 voted 17-3, with one abstention, to approve a long-stalled freedom of information bill. Final passage, however, remains uncertain because of time pressures. Approval by the full House this year would require action during the 11 session days left before Congress goes on a Christmas break, and only limited time […]
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26 November 2012
Argentine Supreme Court Hears Significant FOI Case
By Dolores Lavalle Cobo Lavalle Cobo is an Argentine lawyer, member of Centro para la Información Ciudadana (Center for Citizen´s Information) and author of books and articles. Nov. 22 was a significant day for the right of access to information in Argentina. While in Congress the draft of a bill implementing access as a constitutional right is about […]
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26 November 2012
United Kingdom Consults on Datasets Disclosure Code
The British government has begun a consultation on its code of practice on government datasets. “The proposed new Code of Practice (datasets) was drafted in conjunction with the Cabinet Office, The Information Commissioners Office, The National Archives, and The Ministry of Justice and sets out what we mean by the terms in the new sections […]
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26 November 2012
Indian Supreme Court to Review RTI Act Decision
The Indian Supreme Court on Nov. 20 agreed to hear the government’s request that it review its Sept. 13 decision that among other things would require that information commissions be composed of retired judges. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) In agreeing to the review, justices A.K. Patnaik and Swatanter Kumar, “made it clear that its verdict […]
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26 November 2012
Canadian Government Pushes First Nation Transparency
The Canada’s conservative government is pushing through legislation (Bill C-27) to require more financial accountability and transparency by so-called First Nations – the governing organizations of indigenous peoples. The bill debated Nov. 23 in the Assembly would require First Nations to file annual financial statements and disclose the remuneration for chiefs and councilors. The Canadian […]
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26 November 2012
FOI Notes: Requester Privacy, Aid Transparency, Open Data, Jobs, More
Privacy for Requesters?: “Protecting the Freedom of Information Act Requestor: Privacy for Information Seekers,” an article by Sarah Shik Lamdan in the Kansas Journal of Law & Pubic Policy, Vol. 21, p. 221, 2012. The abstract says: FOIA requests are one of the foremost tools of American democracy, a primary means for assuring government transparency. […]
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23 November 2012
Clock Runs Out on Effort to Pass FOI Law in Argentina
Efforts to pass a freedom of information law in Argentina will need to begin from the beginning. The time limit for action by the House passed without action, leaving the 2010 Senate-passed bill in limbo. The Senate legislation was forwarded to several committees (called commissions) – the Constitutional Affairs Commission, the Justice Commission and the […]
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23 November 2012
SA Committee Approves Amended Secrecy Bill
An ad hoc committee of the South African Parliament has approved the secrecy bill, setting the stage for expected passage the National Council of Provinces and the National Assembly in the upcoming weeks. The committee Nov. 21 dropped a controversial provision that would have made the new law override the Promotion of Access to Information […]
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23 November 2012
ASEAN Declaration Includes Mention of Access Right
The recently issued declaration on human rights by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, facing criticisms, includes a provision recognizing the right to receive information. It states: 23. Every person has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information, whether orally, […]
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21 November 2012
Chile Encourages Agencies to Publish Data on New Portal
Chile’s General Secretary of the Presidency has announced an Open Government Presidential Directive establishing an open data policy and encouraging governmental institutions to proactively publish their data and information. The announcement mandates that open government data must be published on a portal: http://datos.gob.cl/ The directive by President Sebastián Piñera “marks an unprecedented commitment” to the […]