What’s New
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22 September 2013
Snowden-Related Concerns Expressed by Commissioners
Information commissioners from 35 countries Sept. 20 issued a resolution stating that “in principle, even intelligence services cannot deny the public’s entitlement to transparency.” The specific reference was influenced by revelations about government secrecy during “the summer of Snowden,” a frequent topic of conversation at the Eighth International Conference of Information Commissioners in Berlin Oct. 18-20. […]
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22 September 2013
Survey of Commissioners Reports Views on 3 Topics
Private bodies performing public functions comply poorly with national access to information laws compared to public bodies, according to a survey of information commissioners. The finding comes in a report prepared by the Centre for Freedom of Information, based at the University of Dundee in Scotland, and for information commissioners and presented Sept. 20 at […]
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19 September 2013
Guyana Law Made Effective July 10; 95th in World
Guyana’s Access to Information Act No. 21 of 2011 entered into force on July 10, 2013, a Guyana official has informed FreedomInfo.org. Guyana is the 95th country with a freedom of information regime. The effective date was provided by an official in the Guyana embassy in Washington, clearing up a bit of ambiguity about whether […]
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19 September 2013
Commissioners to Discuss New Access Rights Protocol
International information commissioners meeting in Berlin will be discussing whether to support the creation of a new international guarantee on the right to information. The idea was broached by Peter Schaar, the German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, at the outset of the Eighth International Conference of Information Commissioners, Sept. 17-19. […]
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19 September 2013
Disclosure Dilemma Faced by Information Experts in Berlin
An appropriate dilemma faced the organizers of the International Conference of Information Commissioners in Berlin. A request for the attendance list of the conference posed a familiar issue for the organizers: disclosure vs. privacy. Peter Schaar, the German information and privacy commissioner, announced Sept. 18 that those who did not want their presence on the […]
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18 September 2013
New Zealand to Join OGP Later This Year, Keyes Says
New Zealand Prime Minister John Keyes Sept. 19 said his country will join the Open Government Partnership later this year, overcoming previous reluctance. The announcement came after Keyes met in London with UK Prime Minister David Cameron. The UK now is an OGP co-chair and will be hosting the OGP meeting in London in late […]
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18 September 2013
Breadth of Access Laws Discussed at ICIC Meeting
The potential for access laws to cover corporations, and the rationale for such scope, was discussed Sept. 18 at the conference of information commissioners in Berlin. Speakers debated increasing access about corporate information, among other topic. Maeve McDonagh, of University College Cork, said, “The boundaries between the private and public sectors have been increasingly blurred […]
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18 September 2013
FOI Laws Under Pressure Speakers at ICIC Say
Freedom of information laws are under increasing stress, according to speakers Sept. 18 at the Eighth International Conference of Information Commissioners. The right of access to information “is under greater threat today” than at any time before, said Laura Neuman, from the Carter Center’s Access to Information Initiative. Particularly under discussion in the sessions and […]
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18 September 2013
Information Commissioners Begin Meeting in Berlin
The eighth International Conference of Information Commissioners convened Sept. 18 in Berlin with attendance of more than 150, incuding more than 30 commissioners. Peter Schaar, the German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection, in his opening remarks, laid out a broad agenda on access. Among his points, Schaar said: – Transparency should be available for those […]
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17 September 2013
Canadian Commissioner Wants Access in OGP Plan
Canada’s information commissioner Suzanne LeGault has urged Canadian officials to make modernization of the Access to Information Act a commitment in its next Open Government Partnership action plan. LeGault described the national access system pessimistically in a lengthy interview with Global News. “If this trend continues, then the system is really busting,” she said. Among […]
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16 September 2013
Court Nullifies Appointment of Four AP Commissioners
An Indian High Court Sept. 15 voided the appointment of four information commissioners in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Chief Justice Kalyan Jyothi Sen Gupta and Justice K.C. Bhanu ruled in a case filed by civil society activists K. Padmanabhaiah, Rao, V.B.J. Chelikani and N. Padmanabha Reddy. The petitioners challenged the appointment Feb. 6 […]
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16 September 2013
Uruguay Proposals on FOI Law Considered Regressive.
Uruguay is considering expanding the exemptions in its freedom of information law, with the Senate now working on government proposals being called “regressive” by groups fighting the changes. Among other things, the bill would allow less access to documents used to develop policy and to evaluation documents. The Uruguayan Senate is in the process of considering […]
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16 September 2013
Paraguay’s Ombudsman Proposes Access Legislation
The House of Representatives in Paraguay is considering a draft law on access to public information. The legislation was proposed by the ombudsman, Manuel Páez Monges, and is sponsored by Rep. Víctor González Segovia. The proposal is being studied in committee on Legislation, Constitutional Affairs and the Press and Propaganda, according to an ABC news […]
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16 September 2013
FOI Notes: Slovak Republic, United States, India, Budget Transparency
Slovak Republic: The U.S. Sunlight Foundation issues its first transparency case study on public procurement in the Slovak Republic. “Through our first case study, we’ve already found that online data publication can positively impact the growth of a region’s NGO community (which, in turn, can increase civil sector oversight), and we are excited about what […]
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12 September 2013
Kuwaiti Parliamentarians Introduce Information Bill
Five members of parliament in Kuwait have submitted a draft right to information law, according to a report in Arab Times. The bill was offered by MPs Riyadh Al-Adsani, Dr Abdul-Kareem Al-Kandari, Hamdan Al-Azemi, Osama Al-Tahous and Mohammad Al-Hadiyah. The draft addresses public information recordkeeping and among other things would require authorities to publish a […]
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12 September 2013
Spanish Parliament Approves FOI Bill; Senate Next
The lower house of the Spanish parliament on Sept. 12 approved a Law on Transparency and Good Governance. Approval came on a divided vote after attempts to amend the bill were turned back. Critics called the bill insufficient and opaque. The bill, presented by Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, now goes to the […]
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12 September 2013
President Zuma Returns Secrecy Bill to Assembly
South African President Jacob Zuma Sept. 12 referred the controversial Protection of State Information Bill back to the National Assembly to address constitutionality issues. “It is my opinion that the bill would not pass constitutional muster,” he said. Zuma’s move was welcomed by critics, who see it as another chance to amend the bill, but […]
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11 September 2013
FOI Notes: RTK Day, OGP Summit Attendees, Open Gov’t Standards, Procurement, Publications
RTKD 2013: There is now an online form to let everyone know about your events for Right to Know Day 2013, Sept. 28. As they come in, they will be placed on a map on the website. Information Commissioners/RTI oversight bodies to be discussed on RTKD2013. Official hashtag #RTKD2013 OGP: A preliminary list of the […]
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11 September 2013
OGP Forming Working Group on Access to Information
The Open Government Partnership is inviting participation in a thematic working group on access to information. OGP is organizing five “pilot” thematic working groups. The goal is “to support the creation and implementation of more ambitious open government commitments as part of OGP national action plans.” The working groups are each co-led by at least […]
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11 September 2013
OGP Issues First IRM Report; South Africa Gets Criticized
South Africa’s national action plan as a member of the Open Government Partnership has been only partly completed, focused on easy goals and did not adequately involve civil society, according to the report on an independent evaluator. The report is the very first one done under the OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism and was prepared by Ralph Mathekga […]