What’s New
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17 January 2014
US House Passes Bill on Presidential Records
The US House of Representatives on Jan. 14 unanimously passed a bill to ensure the timely release of presidential records and require the retention of emails. Twenty-three organizations wrote a letter of support for the bill, which is similar to legislation passed in previous years and which still needs approval from the Senate. Among other […]
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17 January 2014
Australia, India, Open Government, Commentary
Australia: The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has translated some OAIC resources into languages other than English: Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Italian, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese. India: A report in the Times of India says “government agencies have put vast amount of personal information online, often with little barrier to access and […]
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16 January 2014
Tunisia to Join OGP; Membership Now 63
Tunisia has joined the Open Government Partnership, the 63rd member. Tunisia in December published its executive budget proposal, an action that gave them two more points on OGP’s 16-point eligibility scale. Tunisia’s score of 13 is just above the necessary 12. Abderrahman Ladgham, Minister for Governance and Anti-Corruption, wrote: “Tunisia has achieved, since the revolution […]
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30 December 2013
Maldives Parliament OKs Access to Information Law
The Parliament in the Maldives Dec. 29 nearly unanimously approved Access to Information legislation. If signed by the president, the Maldives would be the 97th country with a FOI regime. Passage “was an important step towards increasing transparency of the state institutions, ensuring greater accountability of public officials, and fighting corruption,” according to a statement […]
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30 December 2013
Protestors in Denmark Carry Torches Over New FOI Law
Amendments to the Danish freedom of information law will create more darkness, according to about 1,500 protestors who carried torches in a silent protest Dec. 19. The rally outside Christiansborg Dec. 29 came in advance of the Jan. 1 effective date of the amended law, according to a Copenhagen Post account. The main concern is that […]
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30 December 2013
Paraguayan Senate Passes Access Law Amendments
The Paraguayan Senate has approved amendments to the law on access to public information and government transparency. The bill would establish new exemptions to the law, according to a Dec. 19 report (in Spanish) in Ultimahora.com. Confidentiality would be granted to information on public security or national defense, information that might prejudice international relations or […]
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30 December 2013
FOI Notes: Russia, India, France, UK, EU, FOI Tips, Open Data, World Bank
Russia: The Freedom of Information Foundation reports on the monitoring of official websites in large municipalities makes proposals for improvements. Also, a nice review of transparency disappointments in Russia in 2013 by (in Russian) by Asya Suvorova. India: Maharashtra will soon become the first state to allow online RTI requests, according to an article in […]
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20 December 2013
Compliance With South African Law Found Weak
Compliance with the South African access to information law has “decreased from the already worryingly low levels of compliance,” according to a new report. The 2013 “shadow report” was issued by the PAIA CSN, the civil society network that monitors the Promotion of Access to Information Act. “Only 16% of information requested was released in full […]
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20 December 2013
FOI Notes: Development, Surveillance, EU, China, Awards
Development: The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Development Initiatives, CIVICUS and Beyond Access, IFEX and Article 19 issue a statement on why access to information must be a central pillar in the future of development and outline possible metrics to measure progress (found here). Surveillance: Some 110 civil society organizations issue a […]
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18 December 2013
Indian Panel Advances Bill to Exempt Political Parties
A committee of the Indian Parliament Dec. 17 recommended that political parties be exempted from the Right to Information Act. One member dissented as the six major political parties followed through on their plans to overturn the June ruling of the Central Information Commission (CIC) that political parties are covered by the RTI act as “public […]
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13 December 2013
Two Pakistani Provinces Pass RTI Legislation: Punjab, K-P
Two Pakistani provinces have approved right to information laws – Punjab and Kyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The most recent action came Dec. 13 when Punjab legislators passed the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information (RTI) Bill 2013. Opposition members who said the bill is “unclear” and “negates the freedom of speech” as enshrined in the constitution, according to an […]
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13 December 2013
FOI Notes: EU, US, Development, Open Data, Media, Australia
European Union: The European Ombudsman rules that the European Medicines Agency was not justified in refusing access to Periodic Safety Update Reports at the time the requests for public access were made. “However, in light of the change in practice of the EMA in relation to granting access to PSURs, the Ombudsman finds that EMA […]
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13 December 2013
Article 19 Suggests Changes for Palestine Draft FOI Law
A draft access prepared by the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) and is currently being discussed by stakeholders in Palestine contains many positive features” but also needs some improvements, according to an assessment by Article 19. The London-based freedom of expression group analyzed the Draft Law on the Right of Access to […]
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9 December 2013
A Blow to Transparency; Japan Passes Secrecy Bill
By Joel Rheuben Rheuben is an Australian lawyer resident in Japan. Japan’s “State Secrecy Bill”, previously reported on here, passed the upper house of Japan’s legislature on Dec. 6 to become law, even as large groups of protestors jostled with police outside. Public interest in the now-State Secrets Law had soared in recent weeks, helped […]
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9 December 2013
FOI Notes: Open2063 Initiative, Processing Information Report, Guatemala
Open2063: The Open Institute and Africa Freedom of Information Centre have announced the Open2063 initiative (www.open2063.org). The African Union is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and looking to define the future of the continent over the next 50 years, in an AU-driven initiative called Agenda2063. Open2063 is an initiative to build a network of […]
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6 December 2013
Canadian Commissioner Says Controls Needed for IM
Controls should be placed on instant messaging “to preserve government records and respect the federal access to information law,” according to a report by Suzanne Legault, Information Commissioner of Canada, issued Nov. 28. The recommendations already have been rejected by the government. “After investigating the use of wireless devices and instant messaging in 11 federal […]
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6 December 2013
FOIA Reform Featured in New U.S. OGP Action Plan
By Toby McIntosh The Obama administration Dec. 6 proposed five steps to “modernize” the freedom of information act. The ideas appear in the second U.S. national action plan prepared as a member of the Open Government Partnership. In an unexpected development, the plan includes a series of commitments related to foreign surveillance efforts. Regarding freedom […]
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5 December 2013
Swedish Parliament Passes Amendments to Access Law
By Staffan Dahllöf This article appeared first in Wobbing EU on Nov. 21. The Swedish parliament Riksdagen that in 1766 saw the birth of the first law on freedom of information ever, has adopted a new limitation of access to documents. Documents may be withheld in order not to ”deteriorate” Swedish interests in international relations. […]
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4 December 2013
Angola FOI Law Found Wanting in AFIC Analysis
The Angola freedom of information law “bears numerous critical deficiencies relative to regional standards,” according to a detailed analysis by the Africa Freedom of Information Centre. “In general, the Angola Law appears to provide only the most limited expression of the right to information,” the report concludes. “In its relatively few pages, it fails sufficiently […]
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2 December 2013
OGP to Skip 2014 Summit, According to SC Minutes
The Open Government Partnership won’t hold its next summit until 2015, according to the recently published minutes of the Oct. 29 London meeting of the Steering Committee. The minutes summarize an inconclusive debate on a proposal to “set up a short-term, internal OGP task force on the issue of safeguarding civic space.” (See previous FreedomInfo.org […]