What’s New
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2 December 2013
European Court Rules in Favor of Austrian NGO
The European Court of Human Rights held Nov. 28 that an Austrian government body’s refusal to grant an Austrian nongovernmental organization access to official documents was unjustified. The majority ruling came in the case of Österreichische Vereinigung zur Erhaltung, Stärkung und Schaffung eines wirtschaftlich gesunden land- und forstwirtschaftlichen Grundbesitzes v. Austria (application no. 39534/07). The […]
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2 December 2013
UN Committee Urges Review of Surveillance Policies
A United Nations committee Nov. 26 adopted a resolution on “The right to privacy in the digital age.” “Through this resolution, the General Assembly establishes, for the first time, that human rights should prevail irrespective of the medium and therefore need to be protected both offline and online,” Brazil’s representative said, according to a UN […]
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29 November 2013
Irish FOI bill concerns must be tackled
By Maeve McDonagh McDonagh is Professor of Law at UCC. She is also the author of Freedom of Information Law 2nd ed This article was originally published Nov. 25 in the Irish Examiner. The Freedom of Information Bill 2013 currently at committee stage in the Oireachtas is to be welcomed in terms of its reversal […]
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27 November 2013
Diet Approves Secrecy Bill After Slight Changes
Japan’s Diet Nov. 26 approved an internationally and domestically criticized “secrecy protection” law which imposes stiffer penalties on officials who leak information – and journalists who seek it. Premier Shinzo Abe said it was “urgent” to pass the law, which he said will allow Japan to receive national security information from the United States and […]
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27 November 2013
Philippines House Panel Sets Deadline for Action
A committee of the House of Representatives in the Philippines Nov. 26 voted 10-5 to have a consolidated measure done by Feb. 14. The House committee on public information approved the motion by Representative Emmeline Aglipay mandating a previously technical working group led by committee chairman Jorge Almonte to consolidate all 19 versions by February. The working […]
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27 November 2013
Mexican House Passes FOI Law Modifications
The Mexican House of Representatives by a vote of 424-16 Nov. 26 endorsed legislation recently approved by the Senate to amend the freedom of information law. Among other things, the legislation provides full autonomy to the Federal Institute for Access to Information and Protection of Data (IFAI) , the regulatory and implementation authority. The members […]
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27 November 2013
Spanish Senate Approves Transparency Legislation
The Spanish Senate has approved a Law on Transparency, Access to Information and Good Governance, and passage by Congress is expected Nov. 28. Few changes have been made to the Cabinet’s bill during the legislative, which critics say needed considerable improvement. “The ruling Partido Popular has ignored civil society during the entire process of adopting […]
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26 November 2013
FOI Notes: Media, Security, India, U.S., Research
Media: The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism has issued a volume analyzing the challenges and opportunities presented to journalists as they attempt to hold governments accountable in an era of professed transparency.” Security Sector: The Transparency and Accountability Initiative, the producers of the Open Government Guide have invited comments on a draft chapter […]
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26 November 2013
RTI: The Promise and the Problems
By Yek Raj Pathak The author is senior editor at National News Agency. This article was first published in Republica. Right to Information Sangam Biswakarma of Hetauda got just 42 marks in mathematics in his SLC exams. He was not satisfied. He was confident that he should get at least 90 in this paper. His […]
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26 November 2013
Groups Urge OGP Leaders to Address Secret Surveillance
More than 100 civil society organizations worldwide have expressed “grave concern” over secret government surveillance and urged national leaders to reform their national laws. The Nov. 25 letter was addressed to the new co-chairs of the Open Government Partnership. The effort was coordinated by the Worldwide Web Foundation The letter said: We join other civil […]
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22 November 2013
Mexican Senate Approves Reforms to Access Regime
By Jesse Franzblau On Nov. 20, Mexico’s senate passed new reforms to the country’s transparency system, approving modifications and establishing greater autonomy for the country’s information oversight body – the Federal Institute for Access to Information and Protection of Data (IFAI). After a process that lasted more than a year and involved significant amendments, revisions, […]
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22 November 2013
UN Officials Express Concern About Japan Secrecy Bill
The United Nations Special Rapporteurs on freedom of expression and on the right to health on Nov. 22 “expressed serious concern about the draft Special Secrets Bill, which establishes grounds and procedures for the classification of information held by the Japanese State,” according to a UN press release. They requested further information from the Japanese […]
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21 November 2013
Nigerian Judge Applies Federal FOI Law to States
A Nigerian judge has ruled that the federal freedom of information law covers state governments. The Oyo State High Court said the 2011 FOI law it does not need to be domesticated by any state before taking effect in all the states across the federation. The presiding judge S.A Akinteye said the National Assembly’s actions […]
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21 November 2013
FOI Notes: Open Data and FOI, Serbia, OGP, U.S. Guide
Research: A special issue of the Journal of Community Informatics explores the promise and practice of Open Government Data (OGD), including an article by Tim G. Davies and Zainab Ashraf Bawa called “The Promises and Perils of Open Government Data (OGD).” Another article, by Katleen Janssen, is titled, Open Government Data and the Right to […]
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21 November 2013
Belief in Access Rights Found Low in Macedonian Survey
A “significant share” of citizens does not believe they enjoy the right to request information from public and state institutions, according to a survey conducted by the Foundation Open Society – Macedonia. The study, titled “Overcoming the principles of secrecy in the public administration’s operation,” says perceptions vary by subject matter. “Most often, citizens believe […]
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15 November 2013
Irish Minister Changes Course on FOI Request Fees
Irish Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin has partially retracted his controversial proposal to raise fees for freedom of information requests. Although portrayed as a “U-turn” in the Irish press, it remains to be seen how far Howlin has moved. Howlin had proposed to charge €15 for each “separate and distinct” query contained in a single FOI […]
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15 November 2013
FOI Notes: RTI OGP Goals, Research, Open Data, EU, Open Agriculture
Open Government Guide: The right to information chapter in the new Open Government Guide suggestions of RTI-related commitments that countries could make in the context of the Open Government Partnership. Examples and other resources are provided. The 19-chapter guide was prepared by the Transparency and Accountability Initiative. T/AI is a donor collaborative that includes the […]
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15 November 2013
Ghana RTI Bill Sent to Committee for Review
A Cabinet-approved right to information bill in Ghana has been referred to a parliamentary committee for review. Speaker of the Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, assigned the bill to the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of the House on Nov. 12 after the Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dominic Ayine, laid the document before […]
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13 November 2013
Regressive Slovak Proposal Pulled Back After Protests
The Slovak Economy Ministry proposed to block access to public contracts that were closed before 2011, but dropped the idea in the face of strong objections, according to a Nov. 11 article by Michaela Terenzani-Stanková in the Slovak Spectator. The effort to amend the 2000 freedom of information law caused protests from pro-transparency non-governmental organizations, […]
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13 November 2013
South African Assembly Passes Secrecy Bill
The South African National Assembly Nov. 12 adopted a revised Protection of State Information Bill. The controversial bill was passed on a vote of 225 to 88. It will now go back to President Jacob Zuma for his signature. In September, Zuma referred the bill back to the assembly, citing two sections of the bill […]