Posts Tagged ‘technology’
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4 September 2014
US Government Issues Prototype FOI Request Tool
A U.S. government team has unveiled a prototype tool for making freedom of information requests online. The blog post about the consolidated request submission hub says the tool is part of an effort to: improve the FOIA request submission experience; create a scalable infrastructure for making requests to federal agencies; and make it easier for requesters […]
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12 April 2013
Canada Launches Pilot Project for Online Information Access
Canada has begun a one-year pilot project that will allow for the submission of information and privacy requests online to three departments. Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board, announced the launch April. 9, saying, “Our Government is the most open and transparent government in Canadian history. “This new online tool makes the process easier […]
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12 April 2013
Indian Department Opens Portal for RTI Applications
A key Indian agency has opened a website for the submission of right to information requests and fees. The portal — http://www.rtionline.gov.in/ — has been created by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the agency which leads on the administration of the RTI law. The portal is not for use in filing requests for […]
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25 January 2013
FOI Notes: Studies, Ratings, Mentorship, Open Data, Reports, Surveys, Video
Open Government Guide Revision: The Transparency & Accountability Initiative (T/AI) is updating the 2011 Opening Government Guide which has multiple chapters describing good practices in transparency, accountability and citizen participation across a wide range of open government areas. Feedback on the original guide is being sought via a very short survey here goo.gl/SxcAX . To give […]
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30 November 2012
Australian Group Creates Website for Requestors
The Right to Know website has been created in Australia, adding to the steady growth of such sites worldwide. About 20 similar sites now exist. The newest site, run by the Open Australia Foundation, “aims to make the process easy for people who lack training in information law” and to ”shame” public servants who are […]
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1 October 2012
Uruguay Group Launches Website for Requesters
The Center for Archives and Access to Public Information (CAINFO) in Uruguay has created a website for the filing of information requests. The portal “allows access to order public information quickly and easily, facilitating the use of this right to all citizens,” according to the nonprofit organization, founded in 2009. The effort is the result […]
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27 August 2012
US Judge Provides Detailed Guide to Electronic Searches
A federal judge in United States has provided a detailed examination of proper electronic search techniques in the freedom of information context. The lengthy decision by Judge Shira A. Scheindlin came in the context of a request for agency records regarding immigration. She criticized the federal agencies involved for their search efforts, and provides an […]
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19 March 2011
Source Disclosure Clause in FOI Bill Riles Nigerian Press
Nigerian media groups are lambasting a provision inserted by the Nigerian Senate into its version of the freedom of information bill that would require journalists to disclose their sources , according to media reports such as one in The Nation. The president of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Garba Muhammed, called it a “watered […]
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25 February 2011
Pakistani RTI Supporters Rally for Law in Punjab Province
By Zahid Abdullah The writer is based in Islamabad, Pakistan, and works for the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives They had gathered to protest about the denial of their right to information. The venue was the road in front of Rawalpindi Press Club and the date Feb. 22, 2011. There were only sixty of […]
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19 January 2011
Ghana Coalition Protests Lack of Action on RTI Legislation
Ghana’s Right to Information Coalition on Jan. 19 staged a march to government offices to protest the lack of action by Parliament on pending freedom of information legislation, according to news reports on myjoyonline.com and businessghana.com. More than 1,000 coalition members went to the Ministry of Information, carrying signs reading: “RTI will promote democracy, RTI is […]
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8 December 2010
Awareness of Kyrgyzstan Access Law Low, Study Finds
Kyrgyzstan’s population does not demand information from public officials and many weakness exist in the implementation of the access law, according to a recent report. The findings and a series of recommendations are contained in a four-country study sponsored by the Open Society Institute in which requestors sought information, with mixed success. “The main problem […]
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18 November 2009
World Bank Board Broadens Access in New Disclosure Policy
The World Bank’s executive directors November 17 approved a new policy on access to information that will mean significantly more transparency about Bank decision making and operations. The Bank’s press release said, “The new policy represents a fundamental shift in the Bank’s approach to disclosure of information—moving from an approach that spells out what documents it can […]
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16 November 2009
In Shanghai, President Obama Recognizes Access to Information as Universal Right
by Yvette M. Chin Shanghai, China — On his first trip to Asia, President Obama made unequivocal statements about access to information as a universal human right at a rare town-hall style meeting of university students November 16. Over 2 years ago, the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information (OGI Regulations) […]
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16 October 2009
Justice Minister Rejects Much-Needed Reforms to Canada’s 26-Year-Old Transparency Law
Recommendations Called for Broad Expansion of Information Commissioner’s Mandate Ottawa, Canada — In June 2009, the House of Commons Committee on access to information, privacy, and ethics made recommendations to modernize and expand the scope of Canada’s 26-year-old Access to Information Act. However, Minister of Justice Rob Nicholson rejected these recommendations as cumbersome and unnecessary, sparking complaints […]
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23 January 2009
Day One: President Obama Pledges to Open Government – International Openness Advocates Applaud US Reforms
Washington, DC – On Day One of his administration, President Barack Obama took authoritative steps to “create an unprecedented level of openness” in the US government through an executive order and two presidential memoranda. International openness advocates, including more than 60 organizations and individuals in at least 30 countries, have issued a statement welcoming the […]
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16 May 2008
Canadian Government Reports on IFI Activity Get Good Grade
The Canadian government’s annual reporting on its activities at international financial institutions is getting better, according to the authors, and to a Canadian civil society group which recently gave the latest report its best grade ever. The Halifax Initiative said the report on 2007 activities merited a B+, up from last year’s rating of B-, […]
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12 December 2007
Information Commissioners Hold 5th International Conference in New Zealand
Open Sessions Include NGO Participation; Commissioners Plan Future Cooperation By Kristin Adair for freedominfo.org Information commissioners, government officials, and civil society representatives from around the world met at the 5th International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC) in Wellington, New Zealand, November 26-29. The four-day conference consisted of one day of closed meetings for the commissioners, […]
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9 May 2007
China Adopts First Nationwide Open Government Information Regulations
By Jamie P. Horsley The Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information (OGI Regulations) published on April 24, 2007, and effective one year later on May 1, 2008, mark a turning point away from the deeply ingrained culture of government secrecy toward making Chinese government operations and information more transparent. (Note […]
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30 November 2005
EU Parliamentary Committee Rejects EIB Effort to Dodge Aarhus Rules
A committee of the European Union Parliament Nov. 22 rejected an effort by the European Investment Bank to be exempted from rules implementing the Aarhus Convention, the EU agreement that governs transparency policies for environmental-related activities. Approval of an amendment by the Environment Committee to include the EIB came despite campaigning by EIB officials to […]
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9 February 2005
On-line Networking Solves Potential Secrecy Problem in Slovakia in 4 Hours
International openness advocates assist Slovakian reformers in debate over EU directive and its effects on Slovak law concept of "silent refusal" Freedom of information advocates in 10 countries plus the U.S. state of New York today combined forces on-line within an elapsed time of four hours to help Slovakian openness reformers refute a legal interpretation […]