What’s New
-
1 October 2012
U.S. Agencies Create Joint Website for Requesters
Six U.S. government agencies have created FOIAonline, a website “that allows both the public and agency staff to make, monitor, and manage FOIA requests from a single website.” “Requesters may choose to submit requests and file appeals by registering for an account,” according to the explanation on the cost-effectiveness features for the new site. “This […]
-
1 October 2012
Bloomberg Tests Finds U.S. Agencies Unresponsive
Only eight of 57 agencies in the United States responded within the 20-day disclosure window to requests for information filed by Bloomberg News to test the freedom of information system. The requests filed in June were for information about official travel by their top official. About half of the 57 agencies eventually disclosed information by […]
-
1 October 2012
Ruling Sows Confusion Among Indian Commissions
More than a quarter of India’s 28 Information Commissions have halted work in the aftermath of the top court’s recent ruling that retired judges must be on commission panels, according to a survey by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. The Central Information Commission continues to hear cases as before, CHRI said. “However the State Information […]
-
28 September 2012
FOIAnet Members List Achievements, Goals
Members of the Freedom of Information Advocates Network (FOIAnet), the group that started International Right to Know Day in 2002 have listed the network’s ten main achievements over the last ten years, its ten main challenges and its ten core goals for the next ten years. The 10-10-10 Statement covers both goals of the organization […]
-
27 September 2012
Three Media Groups Urge Malaysia to Pass FOI law
Media groups in Malaysia have called on the government to pass a right to informaiton law, according to an article in Free Malaysia Today. “We are writing to ask the Federal Barisan Nasional coalition to make an election commitment, in the upcoming general elections, to adopt right to information legislation as soon as possible,” according to […]
-
27 September 2012
Additions Continue to FOI Family, Pace Slows
Two countries passed freedom of information laws in the year since the last Right to Know Day – Brazil and Yemen. This represents a lessened pace from the exceptionally high number of bills approved in previous years — in six countries and Jersey. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) In about half a dozen countries, however, FOI […]
-
26 September 2012
OGP Looks to Future at One Year Anniversary
Commemorating its one-year anniversary, the Open Government Partnership is continuing to wrestle with finding the right balance between carrots and sticks. The multilateral effort has attracted 57 members who together have made more than 300 specific commitments to improve transparency and open government in their national action plans. Speakers at the two-hour reception attended by […]
-
26 September 2012
UK Proposes Four Top Priorities for OGP
The United Kingdom has proposed four top priorities for its upcoming year as the lead co-chair of the 57-nation Open Government Partnership. The UK list puts an emphasis on demonstrating the value of transparency and open governments while also addressing the strengthening of the OGP organizationally. The UK issued the list and requested comments on […]
-
20 September 2012
U.S. Effort Impressive on OGP Plan, Group Says
The Obama administration has put an “impressive amount of effort” into fulfilling the commitments made in the U.S. national action plan, created as a member of the multilateral Open Government Partnership, according to an assessment by a watchdog group. The progress report by OpenTheGovernment.org and others organizations evaluates the administration’s implementation of the plan so […]
-
20 September 2012
Italian FOI Activists Hold Event to Push Legislation
Italian supporters celebrated Sept. 19 as Italy’s “Day of Transparency” seeking to build support for national freedom of information legislation. “A group of associations and prominent individuals started a campaign last spring to demand the introduction of a law that allows citizens to have access to documentation from the public administration,” according to the organizers […]
-
20 September 2012
Scottish Commissioner Sees Growing Number of Appeals
New Scottish Information Commissioner Rosemary Agnew has reported a hike in the number of appeals to her office over freedom of information request denials and criticized the Scottish government presiding over an “unacceptable” erosion access to information. “It is simply not acceptable that citizens’ rights continue to be eroded through complex changes in the delivery […]
-
20 September 2012
FOI Notes: RTK Day Tweets, Parliaments, Maps and More
Right to Know Day: For Right to Know Day tweet the hashtag #10RTKD for English (for 10th Right to Know Day), and #10DDDS for Spanish (10 Día de Derecho a Saber). On Facebook, view www.facebook.com/foianet SARTIAN: There’s a new website for the South Asia Right to Information Advocates Network (SARTIAN). Parliamentary Openness: A Declaration on Parliamentary Openness, […]
-
20 September 2012
Cayman Commissioner Reports Agency Resistance
Cayman Islands Information Commissioner Jennifer Dilbert has criticized an unnamed government agency for failing to identify records responsive to a request, according to a recent quarterly report. The report said the commissioner will not hesitate to enforce penalties in the law. Also noted in the report is that a Legislative Assembly subcommittee’s review […]
-
20 September 2012
Committee in Final Days on South African Secrecy Bill
Negotiations are entering the final stages as the South African National Council of Provinces Ad Hoc Committee on the Protection of State Information Bill continues to work on the the bill. Critics last week charged, however, that the ruling African National Congress backtracked on several promised modifications to the “secrecy bill.” The Committee Secretariat prepared a […]
-
19 September 2012
Chilean Court Rejects Disclosure of Official Emails
The Constitutional Court in Chile has rejected making public the emails of officials. The decision (in Spanish) revoked a Transparency Council decision and is considered a blow to the right of access to information. The court declared that emails are not covered by Article 5 from the Transparency and Access to Information Act which states in […]
-
19 September 2012
Uruguay Restricts Access to Certain Police Information
Eduardo Bonomi, the Minister of the Interior of Uruguay, has issued five resolutions establishing the secrecy of information related to police activities. The resolutions would prevent disclosure of information concerning procedures for combating crime, including information on the use of resources. Information on the location of the policy stations is also given protection. Also classified […]
-
19 September 2012
Open Government? The Dangerous Distraction of Faux Transparency
By Stanley Tromp Tromp is FOI caucus coordinator of the Canadian Association of Journalists. This article first appeared Sept. 17 in The Tyee and is reprinted with permission. The original subtitle was: “While officials disgorge data sets and tweet away, citizens still lack muscle to compel the state to release records.” For citizens, the vital […]
-
18 September 2012
UK Official Sophia Oliver Says IRM Is Top OGP Priority
The United Kingdom, soon to take over as the “lead” co-chair of the Open Government Partnership, is determined to implement the mechanism for reviewing national action plans, according to Sophia Oliver, the UK’s lead OGP official. The “top number one priority,” Oliver said Sept. 18, which “absolutely crucial at this stage” is to “get an […]
-
18 September 2012
Canadian Commissioner Sees Performance Improvement
Canada’s Information Commissioner in her annual report (And in French) reports “for the first time in 10 years, a reversal of the declining performance of federal institutions in their fulfillment of their obligations under the Access to Information Act.” Suzanne Legault wrote, “Although this improvement was only slight, and the access to information system remains fragile, […]
-
18 September 2012
Russia Launches Web Portal About Open Government
By Nate Jones Jones is the Freedom of Information Coordinator at the National Security Archive who is also currently working with the Freedom of Information Foundation in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The government of the Russian Federation has launched its “Open Government” web portal to inform and solicit advice from its citizens as it attempts “to […]