Posts Tagged ‘FOI Notes’
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16 April 2015
FOI Notes: ICIC, Vexatious Requests, Accessing Code, South Africa, India, UK, US
ICIC: The Ninth International Conference of Information Commissioners will be held April 22 and 23 in Santiago, Chile, The limited posted program is a mix of speeches and panels. It does not appear that the sessions will be webcast. The attending commissioners will meet privately and are expected to issue a statement. South Africa: Gabriella […]
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9 April 2015
FOI Notes: Olympics, India, US, Drones, Open Data, More
Sports: The International Olympic Committee announces plans to disclose the compensation of its top officials. India: The Department of Personnel and Training has invited views/suggestions from citizens on the draft guidelines regarding elements that a RTI reply should essentially contain, RTI India reports. United States: “The expanding reach of the Freedom of Information Act has […]
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2 April 2015
FOI Notes: UK, Civic Space, History, US, UNESCO, Transparency Research
United Kingdom: The Information Commissioner issues a document looking at “the question of how to achieve greater transparency about services and functions outsourced by public authorities, and the role that the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) plays in this. We highlight the uncertainty about what information is in scope of FOIA and explain how we […]
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26 March 2015
FOI Notes: Africa, UK, Ireland, US, Brazil, Nepal, India, New Zealand
Africa: Gilbert Sendugwa, Coordinator and Head of the Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC), a pan-African network of 35 organizations based in Uganda, is featured in an IFEX podcast (text also available there) along with links to resources about FOI in Africa. Last September, AFIC released a report called The State of Right to Information […]
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19 March 2015
FOI Notes: United Nations, United States, Brazil, Pakistan, World Bank, Open Data
FOIA Implementation: A working paper, “Right to Information: Identifying Drivers of Effectiveness in Implementation,” by Stephanie E. Trapnell and Victoria Lemieux, describes the World Bank’s multi-faceted approach to measuring implementation. United Nations: The UN Statistical Commission’s initial assessment of the still provisionally proposed indicators for an access-to-information target in the UN’s new Sustainable Development Goals. The first […]
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12 March 2015
FOI Notes: Open Data, World Bank, FOI Research, Mexico, US, India, Construction Transparency
United States: The FOIA Project is conducting a poll on the “worst FOIA failure,” with six candidates. Awlaki Memo FBI Drones Snowden Damage Secret Surveillance Bay of Pigs History Kennedy FBI File Open Data/FOI: Reflections by Lauranellen McCann urges attention to the civic role of technology, not just the proliferation of tools. Looking back at […]
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5 March 2015
FOI Notes: South Africa, OGP, Open Data, Much More
South Africa: See the report on the R2K 2015 National Summits online here. OGP: The Open Government Partnership issues its annual report. United States: See a comprehensive list of the events for the upcoming Sunshine Week. Debating Transparency: “Disclosure Can Produce Meaningful Change,” writes Chris Gates, the president of Sunlight Foundation is a US nonpartisan […]
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26 February 2015
FOI Notes: Country Reports, Open Data, US States, More
Canada: “Alberta Premier Jim Prentice has personally ordered that documents from all general freedom of information requests be publicly posted, despite serious concerns from the civil servants responsible for implementing the new policy, CBC News has learned.” according to a CBC report that highlights negative reactions to the move. Oregon: Incoming governor Kate Brown announces […]
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19 February 2015
FOI Notes: Research, Country News, Tips, More
FOI Research: Gregory Michener has an article in Governance titled “How Cabinet Size and Legislative Control Shape the Strength of Transparency Laws.” Also see shorter version in Democratic Audit UK. Summary: When are governments likely to adopt strong transparency laws? Greg Michener says that too much of the existing research has tried to answer that […]
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12 February 2015
FOI Notes: Sharks Teeth, Journalism, Video, South Africa, Open Data, US
Australia: “Environmental groups have applied to have the jaws of two great white sharks that were killed after a shark attack off the West Australian coast last year released under freedom of information (FOI) laws,” according to an article in The Guardian. “It’s the first attempt in Australia to use the FOI act to access […]
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5 February 2015
FOI Notes: OGP, EU, US, Transparency Research
Open Government Partnership: The OGP Access to Information Working Group has issued a brief questionnaire soliciting “ideas on the priorities for working group, potential activities, and the way in which you are interested in contributing to the OGP ATI Working Group.” Deadline Feb. 7. United Kingdom: “FOI 10 Years On: Freedom Fighting or Lazy Journalism,” […]
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29 January 2015
FOI Notes: Transparency News in Brief
Resources: The Freedom of Information Advocates Network unveils a new website. Freedom House: Freedom in the World 2015 has ben posted with the main conclusion: More aggressive tactics by authoritarian regimes and an upsurge in terrorist attacks contributed to a disturbing decline in global freedom in 2014. Freedom in the World 2015 found an overall […]
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22 January 2015
FOI Notes: Many Countries, Many Transparency Topics
Scotland: Reforms are necessary to counter the erosion the law, according to an anniversary report by Scottish Information Commissioner Rosemary Agnew. India: “What has ten years of RTI achieved?” asks the headline to an article in The Tribune by Pamerla Philipose. Open Government Partnership: “What to watch for in 2015,” an outlook article by the OGP staff. […]
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15 January 2015
FOI Notes: Training, Spain, Aid, Extractives, Nigeria, UK, India, US, Open Data
FOI Training: The right to information is one of six topics in a training program developed by Development Initiatives “to develop and strengthen the skills, capacities and strategic visions of civil society organisations working in the areas of aid and budget analysis, monitoring and advocacy.” Nigeria: Seember Nyager, CEO at the Public and Private Development […]
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8 January 2015
FOI Notes: India, US, UK, Open Data, Latin America
India: An article in Legally India says the Bar Council of India (BCI) requires lawyers who take the All India Bar Examination to agree not to file Right to Information requests for their AIBE answer sheets or the answer key, and overrides the provisions of the RTI Act by imposing a time limit of 20 […]
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1 January 2015
FOI Notes: Google Report, India, Pakistan, US
Google: Google released its semiannual transparency report, including nearly 30 examples of content that dozens of governments have asked the search engine giant to remove. Overall, Google received 3,105 requests from world governments between July 2013 and December 2013 to wipe 14,367 pieces of content. In the previous 6-month allotment, from December 2012 to July […]
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24 December 2014
FOI Notes: User Tips, UK, Mexico, Japan, Zambia, Canada, Environmental Transparency
FOI User Tricks: Tips (and Spanish version) for using FOI penned by independent Mexican journalist Alejandra Xanic von Bertrab, who shared a Pulitzer Prize with New York Times reporter David Barstow for their investigation into Walmart’s expansion in Mexico that required more than 800 FOIA requests. There’s more detail, but in brief: Explore alternate routes. Study […]
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18 December 2014
FOI Notes: Commentary, Research, Corporate Transparency, More
Commentary: Maureen Kariuki, the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Civil Society Coordinator for Africa and the Middle East, writes about the using the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and the OGP to push access to information reforms. OGP: The OGP issues its research agenda, described in a blog post. Corporate Transparency: The topic is addressed […]
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4 December 2014
FOI Notes: OGP, Open Education, Publications, More
OGP: The OGP Steering Committee voted to expand the International Experts’ Panel that oversees the Independent Reporting Mechanism tasked with reviewing each of the OGP country action plans and OGP processes. “We currently have opened the call for more IEP nominations to expand the existing membership. This is your chance to make sure that the […]
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26 November 2014
FOI Notes: Defending Transparency, FOI and Academia, Pakistani Legal Site, More
Commentary/US: “Why Critics of Transparency Are Wrong,” an article by Gary D. Bass, Danielle Brian and Norman Eisen. The authors write: “In this paper, we respond to the principal myths about transparency that are cropping up in books, academic journals and newspapers across the country, and demonstrate the enduring value of open government. In fact, […]