Posts Tagged ‘publications’
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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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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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24 July 2014
FOI Notes: Arabic ATI Guide, OGP in LA, OKFest, Contest, Open Data, Job Posting
ATI Guide in Arabic: An Arabic version of the Guide on ATI, published by UNESCO in April, is available. Latin America: Winds of Change: The Progress of Open Government Policymaking in Latin America and the Caribbean, a book in English and Spanish, reviews activities in 15 countries under theOpen Government Partnership. 2014 OK Festival: A […]
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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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21 November 2013
FOI Notes: Open Data and FOI, Serbia, OGP, U.S. Guide
Research: A special issue of the Journal of Community Informatics explores the promise and practice of Open Government Data (OGD), including an article by Tim G. Davies and Zainab Ashraf Bawa called “The Promises and Perils of Open Government Data (OGD).” Another article, by Katleen Janssen, is titled, Open Government Data and the Right to […]
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11 September 2013
CIMA Report Makes Suggestions for Improving FOI Implementation
Many freedom of information are “exemplary on paper” but “poorly implemented,” according to a new report that offers a variety of recommendations aimed at “breathing life” into FOI laws. Authors Craig L. LaMay, Robert J. Freeman and Richard N. Winfield aim to provide a list of “practical” suggestions in the 55-page report was sponsored by […]
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16 August 2013
FOI Notes: Surveillance, Research, Model OGP; U.S., EU, Australia
Human Rights and Communications Surveillance: Access, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Privacy International are leading a new initiative focused on disseminating new international principles around human rights and communications surveillance.”Called the International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance, approximately 100 NGOs from around the world have already shown support and many of […]
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11 October 2012
FOI Notes: Video, Research, UK Guides, Books
Video: See a presentation by Associated Press investigative journalist Martha Mendoza on the importance of government transparency. “Drawing on her own experience employing the U.S.’s FOIA, and similar international laws, Mendoza demonstrated how latent information, made available publicly and contextualized, can affect change from the smallest municipal government to the highest levels of international institutions,” according […]
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15 June 2012
Reports Examine Access Issues in Chilean Cities
Two reports have been prepared addressing transparency in Chilean cities. A report entitled “Challenge of Transparency in Municipalities,” prepared by the lawyer Daniela Cañas, provides a comprehensive analysis of the causes and problems of transparency in municipalities. The report “Barriers of Access to Public Information City 2012” was done by Pro Acceso Foundation and studies […]
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14 June 2012
Report Addresses Access, Public Safety in Chile
Pro Acceso Foundation and Paz Ciudadana Foundation have published a report (in Spanish) called “Access to Public Information and Public Safety in Chile.” The paper argues that access to public information should be understood not only as a mechanism to ensure probity in public administration, also as “a necessary condition for the construction of a […]
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1 June 2012
FOI Notes: UNESCO, Fiscal Transparency
Open Access: UNESCO has published “Policy Guidelines for the Development and Promotion of Open Access” which is largely about open access to scientific information and is designed “to promote Open Access in Member States by facilitating understanding of all relevant issues related to Open Access.“ Comments are being solicited here. There are nine sections are: […]
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25 April 2012
Disclosure of Land Deals Recommended in Report
All contractual information about land deals should be publicly available unless investors or governments can prove that this would harm commercial competitiveness or public interest, according to a new report. The principle should be “if in doubt, disclose,” states the report, Dealing with Disclosure, published by Global Witness, the International Land Coalition and the Oakland […]
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2 April 2012
Reports Show Uses of Access Laws for LGBTI Community
The South African History Archive has prepared reports to raise awareness about the right to information within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) sector in Africa. The materials not only describe the laws, but contain specific practical suggestions on how requests can be used to gather useful information and defend rights in a […]
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28 October 2011
Alianza Regional Presents FOIA Report to Commission
The Alliance for Freedom of Expression and Information Oct. 24 in Washington urged the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights to pay more attention to access to information. A delegation representing the 24 organizations of 18 different countries requested that access to information be added as a relevant theme access on the country visits done by the IACHR […]
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24 June 2011
Detailed Reports Finds Weakneses in AfDB Policy
Obtaining information from the African Development Bank can be frustrating, according to researchers who visited the Bank’s website and went to Bank local offices. Their experiences informed a detailed study, the results of which have just been released. It was conducted for the Global Transparency Initiative by Idasa, an Africa democracy institute based in South Africa. […]
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10 September 2010
FOI Notes: Blair on FOI, World Bank on Land
Blair’s Actions on FOI Exposed: An article by Maurice Frankel, published by the Campaign for Freedom of Information, discusses former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair’s obstruction of freedom of information, as disclosed in his just-published memoir. Although Blair says his views are based on experience of FOI in practice, the article says it is clear […]
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27 August 2010
FOIA Notes: A Bibliography, Snapshot of World FOIA
A new bibliography of academic resources on FOI law has just been released on FOIAnet. It was compiled by Ben Worthy, Research Associate, Constitution Unit, Department of Political Science, University College London, along with Lydia Medland, the Project Coordinator at Access Info Europe. They are not trying to list every piece of FOI work, but […]
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19 March 2010
Notable Canadian News Stories Based on ATIA requests
By Stanley Tromp The value of a strong Access to Information Act is better demonstrated than just asserted. To counter negative claims made by bureaucrats and politicians about FOI law usage, here are summaries of Canadian news story on issues as diverse as health, safety, government financial waste, public security, and environmental risks. They all […]
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19 March 2010
Hong Kong’s Code on Access to Information Turns 15 Years Old: Can the Right to Know Thrive Without a Law?
By Chan Pui-king Since March 1995, the right to know in Hong Kong has been codified in the Code on Access to Information, an administrative measure (without the force of law) that requires all government departments to release information to the public. As the Code celebrates its 15th year in effect, Hong Kong’s experience with use […]
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4 March 2010
Carter Center Releases African Regional Plan of Action to Advance the Right of Access to Information
Participants from the African Regional Conference on the Right of Access to Information have released the Regional Findings and Plan of Action to advance the right of access to information in Africa. The conference, which took place in Accra, Ghana, from February 7-9, examined the specific the political and institutional constraints in Africa that have limited the opportunities […]