What’s New
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17 March 2014
Draft RTI Law in Palestine Given Weak RTI Rating
The Council of Ministers in Palestine has proposed a right to information law that scores poorly on a rating system for RTI laws. Also, the Council’s draft is weaker than one developed by the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA), according to an analysis by the Canadian-based Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD). An […]
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17 March 2014
Email Retention Controversy Roils Transition in Chile
The outgoing administration of President Sebastián Piñera’s in Chile allowed government employees to delete personal emails before leaving office, later backpedaling under pressure. A controversy erupted after the newspaper El Mostrador March 10 disclosed the existence of Supreme Decree 14, signed in mid-January but not published until Feb. 27, overturned a 2004 regulation on electronic […]
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17 March 2014
Canadian Commissioner Loses Case Over Long Delay
A Canadian judge has decided the law does not permit her to sanction a government agency for a three-year delay in responding to a request. The Canadian Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault took the National Defence ministry to court for delays in handling a Dec. 9, 2010, request for documents about a contract and communications related […]
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17 March 2014
UK Committee Recommends FOI Coverage of Contracting
The Public Accounts Committee of the UK Parliament on March 14 issued a report documenting the growth of contracting out public services to private contractors and calling for such activities to be covered by the freedom of information law. Half of all public spending on goods and services goes to private providers of contracted-out services, […]
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17 March 2014
Chilean CSO Request System Successful, Research Says
Requests for municipal information in Chile that were made through an automated system run by the civil society group Ciudadano Inteligente were more likely to get positive results than requests submitted through normal channels, according to research by Cristobal Marshall. Ciudadano Inteligente several years ago launched http://www.accesointeligente.org/, an online FOIA liaison platform that has aimed […]
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17 March 2014
Court Critical of CIA Refusal to Provide Softcopy Records
By Steven Aftergood This article appeared March 17 in Secrecy News Blog. Even when the Central Intelligence Agency possesses a releasable document in a softcopy format, the Agency typically refuses to release the softcopy version in response to Freedom of Information Act requests, and insists on providing a hardcopy version of the document instead. A […]
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17 March 2014
Some Critics Decry Aquino Hands-Off Stance on FOIA
The leading Senate sponsors of the freedom to information bill in the Senate has said public pressure will bring about passage of a bill, taking a more charitable view than others on President Benigno Aquino’s continuing decision not to “certify” the bill as urgent. Sen. Grace Poe’s confidence contrasts with the growing concern among commentators […]
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14 March 2014
World Bank Creating Tool to Gauge FOI Implementation
The World Bank is developing and testing a set of indicators to evaluate the implementation of right to know laws. Expected out in June, the 120-item evaluative tool will cover topics such as enforcement and management. The Bank is testing the tool using information gathered about four countries. Also nearing a debut is a project […]
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14 March 2014
African Network Issues Recommendations
The Working Group of the African Platform on Access to Information (APAI) has called on more African countries to pass the Model Law on Access to Information developed by the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa and adopted by the African Commission. The civil society coalition’s March 6 statement […]
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14 March 2014
The Importance of RTI in Corruption fight
By Zibusiso Dube Dube is the Information Manager at Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA). He writes in his personal capacity. This article first appeared March 3 in Southern Eye. Zimbabwe’s terrible corruption has been laid bare for all to see. Chief executive officer (CEO) of Premier Services Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) Cuthbert Dube allegedly earned […]
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14 March 2014
Slovenia Upper House Stalls FOI Amendments Legislation
Slovenia’s National Council has opposed an expansion of the freedom of information law recently approved by the lower house, but under the Slovenian system the bill may still become law. The upper house “veto” was passed by a narrow margin March 13. The National Assembly, however, has the power to vote again and approve the […]
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14 March 2014
FOI Notes: OGP, UK, Canada
Open Government Partnership: The OGP Independent Review Mechanism is looking for individuals to carry out research at the national level for 34 countries. The reviewers will assess government progress on implementation of OGP action plans. Please read more here or directly submit an English (preferred) or Spanish CV to the IRM at IRM@opengovpartnership.org. Use the […]
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12 March 2014
UK Court Rejects Secrecy for Prince Charles’ Letters
The Court of Appeal in the United Kingdom March 12 ruled that the Attorney General unlawfully vetoed disclosure of Prince Charles’ letters to government ministers. The three judge panel’s decision says the veto was incompatible with European Union environmental law. The Guardian newspaper nine years ago requested the correspondence sent to various government agencies in […]
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10 March 2014
Philippines Senate Passes FOI Bill Without Dissent
The Philippines Senate on March passed a freedom of information bill on third and final reading. All senators present voted in favor of the measure, according to a report by the Philippines Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) and one in The Inquirer. “While the Senate breezed through the FOI, the House version continues to meander […]
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10 March 2014
Crowdfunding FOI Requests Gains in Use, Seems to Work
By Toby McIntosh The use of crowdfunding to raise money for freedom of information requests is occurring at modest levels in the Australia, Canada, Germany and the United States, according to reports gathered by FreedomInfo.org. The number of instances may be too few to be called a trend, but too intriguing to be ignored. And […]
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10 March 2014
FOI Notes: India, US, Nepal, OGP, Research, UK, Fellowship
India: The Ministry of Personnel and Training has issued a Volume 1 of a “Compendium of Best Practices on RTI.” including The chapter titles are: SARATHI (System of Assisting Residents And Tourists through Helpline Information), RTI Library, Transparency Desk, RTI Online, Central Monitoring Mechanism, Pro-Active Disclosure, Jaankari, MCA21, Information Kiosks, Chakravyuh, Digitization and RTI Foundation […]
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10 March 2014
Mexico’s Transparency Reforms, Part I: Migrant Rights and IFAI
By Michael Evans and Jesse Franzblau This article first appeared March 7 in Migration Declassified, a project of the National Security Archive, the parent organization of FreedomInfo.org. Clearing the decks after a recent overhaul of Mexico’s transparency regime, the Mexican Senate last week rejected a request by the current group of Federal Institute for Access to Information (IFAI) […]
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7 March 2014
Colombia President Signs Information Access Law
President Juan Manuel Santos March 6 signed a new access to information law in Colombia saying it will help fight corruption. It will come into effect in six months for national government agencies and in a year for local governments. The law in May of 2013 was approved by the constitutional court with a few […]
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7 March 2014
US Advisory Body Meets on FOIA Dispute Resolution
A government advisory body in the United States is considering preliminary suggestions to improve dispute resolution for freedom of information requests. A committee of the Administrative Conference of the United States met on the topic March 6, and will continue deliberating on the recommendations, derived from a lengthy research paper on FOIA disputes. A main focus is the […]
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7 March 2014
EU Ombudsman Says ECB Being Too Secretive
European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly has chastised the Governing Council of the European Central Bank for blocking disclosure of an ECB letter called on the Irish government to take swift action to protect the stability of the Irish financial system. “I regret that the Governing Council of the ECB has wasted an opportunity to apply the […]