NEWS ROUNDUP:

• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released an expanded public database of federal consumer financial complaints this week. The database has more than 90,000 complaints covering problems with mortgages, bank accounts, credit cards, and more. (FedScoop)
• The SEC and major natural resources companies are locked in a legal battle over how much disclosure should exist around their payments to governments. The broader move towards greater extractives transparency is growing around the world. (POGO)
• The National Academy of Public Administration has a new report out that recommends less disclosure for top government officials. Teh report urges Congress to “indefinitely suspend” requirements contained in the STOCK Act that would put financial disclosures from top federal executives online. (Washington Post)
• A new app from UCLA allows residents of Los Angeles to get a sense of how much energy their neighborhood sucks up and is aimed at the LA Department of Water and Power and local city planners. (MIT Technology Review)
• A new report from the Center for Public Integrity found a lot of inconsistent reporting when it comes to disclosures that are supposed to be filed by federal judges. The reports track judge’s participation in privately funded trips and seminars, but data is often incomplete or missing. (Public Integrity)
• San Francisco is continuing their counteroffensive against all the recent press NYC has gotten for their open data plans. San Fran’s Board of Supervisors heard testimony from “companies that have been successful because of forward thinking open data policies,” and then voted on changes to the city’s open data policies.  (GovFresh)
• Cambodia is dealing with the effects of a regime that represses the media and a populous where mobile phones out number land-lines. Traditional media are often censored, but newer sources of information have yet to see the crackdown, allowing major stories to find their way around on online social networks and blogs. (Tech President)

RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED:

• H.R. 1262. Drone Aircraft Privacy and Transparency Act of 2013.
• H.R. 1312. Geolocational Privacy and Surveillance Act.
• S. 607.  Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2013.

HAPPENING TODAY 3/29:

• None.

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