Japan: The new Designated State Secrets Law is analyzed in lengthy article by Usaki Masahiro, a professor of law at Doky? University.
United States/Technology: The Justice Department reports on the use of technology in processing FOIA requests. Among other findings, “Over a quarter of the agencies reported offering requesters the ability to track the status of requests online….”
United States/Technology: A report by the US group Reinvent Albany summarizes data on the cost benefits of automating FOI processing. Also see related Sunlight Foundation article.
OGP: A blog post by OGP civil society co-chair Suneeta Kaimal identifies three future challenges:
– to identify leaders for the new steering committee from both civil society and government – strategic thinkers who see the opportunity OGP presents and the obstacles ahead, and who can help craft a future path.
– to take hard decisions that strengthen the integrity of the partnership. Without a rapid response policy, the OGP steering committee has no way to address challenges that drive at the heart of OGP – like civil society engagement.
– to ensure that the leadership, not only within the steering committee but also nationally, harnesses the potential of OGP to make advancements internationally. This involves considering our role not just within countries, but across them.
OGP: Martin Tisne of a major OGP underwriter, the Omidyar Network, writes that “from a funder’s perspective” the OGP is “one of the best returns on investment we’ve had.” He also describes “three other areas I’ve also been struck by in recent weeks and that point to OGP’s transformation and maturation as a global platform:”
OGP: Another look at the OGP as it nears the three-year mark by journalist Jessica McKenzie in Tech President.
Sierra Leone: Connecting Open Data and the Right to Information in Sierra Leone, an article by Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai is the executive director of Society for Democratic Initiatives.
Right to Be Forgotten: A commentary by David Kirkpatrick, CEO of Techonomy, on the recent EU court ruling, stating, “The court in this instance put tremendous importance on the individual’s right to privacy, but in so doing disregarded what I consider another extremely important right—the right to information.”
Open Data: What is the value of Open Data? – a report on a seminar sponsored by the British Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information (APPSI).
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