What’s New
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27 June 2014
FOI Notes: South Africa, Isle of Man, OGP, Bhutan, Pakistan, US, UK
Private Sector: A FOI manual by a private company in South Africa. The compliance-oriented manual by March & McLennon Companies is dated November 2013. Isle of Man: The government publishes a summary of responses concerning a proposed FOI law. Employment: The Open Government Partnership is looking to hire a Regional Civil Society Coordinator with a […]
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27 June 2014
Study Evaluates FOI in Italy, Seven Other Countries
A comparative analysis on freedom of information laws in eight countries is designed to lay the groundwork for a campaign to improve the Italian access regime. The report was written by Alexandre Salha, the former Project Manager at Transparency International Lebanon, who is now working with the Italian group Diritto Di Sapere. The countries examined […]
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27 June 2014
Kashmir Commissioner Urges Assembly to Follow RTI Law
Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Information Commissioner G R Sufi has complained that the Legislative Assembly is not following the Right to Information Act, according to a report by a newspaper. The Assembnly has not created a website to make required proactive disclosures, according to a June 8 article in Greater Kashmir by Dr Raja Muzzafar […]
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24 June 2014
Two US Senators Propose Bill to Strengthen FOIA
This article was posted on the website of the National Security Archive, FreedomInfo.org’s parent organization. Congress may actually take action this year to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act, according to the National Security Archive’s posting June 24 of the new bipartisan bill by leading U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and John Cornyn (R-TX). The […]
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20 June 2014
Members Named to FOI Advisory Panel in US
The Archivist of the United States David Ferriero has appointed the 20 members of the new FOIA Advisory Committee. Ten are from within government and 10 from outside. Committee members are appointed to serve two-year terms. The first meeting will be held June 24, according to an announcement. Office of Government Information Services Director Miriam […]
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20 June 2014
Indian CIC Extends RTI to Cover Private Schools
India’s Central Information Commission has ruled that the Right to Information Act applies to private schools. The CIC decided that RTI coverage is justified when private schools are governed by laws such as the Delhi Education Act that regulate the schools, including their salaries. The requester was a former school employee. The short decision, Ms. Sadhana Dixit Vs. Directorate […]
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20 June 2014
Bahamian Official Says Plans Under Way for FOI Legislation
Following a major rally for passage of a freedom of information law, a key minister in the Bahamian government has indicated that a plan to pass a law will be issued. However, the minister said, more that 100 amendments would be necessary to fix a version that came close to becoming law several years ago. […]
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20 June 2014
Polish FOI Laws, Practices Weak, Evaluation Finds
Poland’s access to information regime is critically evaluated in a report just published in English. “Public institutions too often use a restricted interpretation of the existing regulations,” according to “Waiting for open government.” It was prepared in December of 2013 by the Polish Open Government Coalition as part of an effort to encourage Poland to […]
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20 June 2014
Open Data Would Benefit G20 Economies, New Study Says
Improved utilization of data could achieve more than half of the G20’s 2 percent growth target, according to a new report. The report, Open for Business, was released in Canberra June 19 by Nicholas Gruen, economist and chief executive office of Lateral Economics. The report was commissioned by the Omidyar Network and is also described in […]
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20 June 2014
FOI Notes: Transparency Research, RTI on Wheels, FOI T-Shirt, Request of the Week
RTI on Wheels: A mobile van to spread the word about RTI is traveling for 10 days through Jammu and Kashmir in India, sponsored by NGO Gujarat Pahel, according to Free Press article. Open Data: “Putting Open Data to Work for Communities,” a report by the US National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, a network of local organizations […]
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16 June 2014
Bangladesh Law Scored at Fifth Birthday Conference
Passage of a right to information law five years ago hasn’t been followed by a culture change within government or among citizens. Assessments of the law came at a forum sponsored by the information commission and bdnews24.com, described in a variety of news reports. “We are trapped in a culture of fear,” said Tahmina Rahman, […]
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13 June 2014
Tunisia Announces Plans to Consult on Access law
Tunisia will hold a second consultation on the draft law on access to information, according to the Secretary of State in charge of governance and public service, Anouar Ben Khelifa. The goal is to replace Decree Law No. 41-2011 on access to administrative documents. The Secretary of State said that repeal of the decree is […]
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13 June 2014
FOI Notes: C20, Technology, Environment, More
G-20: “After feedback through the C20 Conversations platform, the final position papers for the four C20 working groups are now online. You can read the papers now around: Inclusive Growth and Employment; Infrastructure; Climate and Sustainability; Governance. These position papers will form the basis for discussions at the C20 Summit and the key recommendations from […]
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13 June 2014
Suggestions Expand List of Quotations on FOI/RTI
The first addition for FreedomInfo’s new list of FOI quotations arrived shortly after we published it, requesting suggestions from readers. Thanks to Jacqueline Strandberg, a policy analyst for the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada, who keeps this quote on a post-it by her computer. The practice of routinely holding information away from the public creates […]
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9 June 2014
US FOI Ombudsman Urged to Issue Advisory Opinions
A federal advisory group in the United States on June 5 recommended that the freedom of information act ombudsman should issue advisory opinions. Although this is permitted by law, the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) has not issued any such opinions since being established in 2007. OGIS assists individuals with FOIA requests, including offering […]
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6 June 2014
FreedomInfo.org Prepares List of FOI Quotations
Wonderful quotations about freedom of information abound. FreedomInfo.org has compiled the following collection of 67 entries, arranged chronologically from the 18th century to very recent times. The latest addition is from Aruna Roy: “The right to know is the right to live.” Please help us expand and improve this list. Precise citations are needed in […]
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6 June 2014
Push for Bahamian FOI Law to Kick Off With March
A broad coalition of groups is planning a march on June 11 to dramatize a campaign for a freedom of information law. The march is being supported by some political parties, churches, trade unions, business associations, concerned citizens’ groups, including Bahamas Against Crime and the Bahamas Humane Society. The Trade Union Congress has called on […]
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6 June 2014
Australian `War on Transparency’ Described
A lengthy article by Rodney Tiffen, “The Abbott government’s war on transparency,” documents government efforts to undermine transparency in Australia. “What is at stake in these moves to reduce public transparency and public knowledge is not only who gains partisan advantage, but also, and much more importantly, the capacity of citizens and consumers to make […]
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6 June 2014
FOI Notes: Research, Audits, Reports, Interviews More
Research: “Does Access to Information Empower the Poor? Evidence from the Dominican Republic,” a report by Emmanuel Skoufias (World Bank), Renata Narita (Universidade de São Paulo) and Ambar Narayan (World Bank). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 6895 (on SSRN) and on Bank website. This paper assesses the impact of an effort in the Dominican […]
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6 June 2014
EC Criticized for Demanding Addresses in Online Requests
Access Info Europe on June 2 charged that the European Commission “is impeding the public’s right to submit access to documents requests via the AsktheEU.org web portal by refusing to register requests which are not accompanied by a postal address.” AsktheEU.org is run by Access Info Europe and forwards users’ requests via email, with requests […]