While the U.S. finally made a commitment to release a full inventory of agency-held data sets, we've also been tracking the progress of local governments toward achieving similar goals — and several have been leading the way.
Continue readingWhy do we trust researchers with sensitive data?
Developing a sense of trustworthiness improves the likelihood that researchers and data-holding partners will be able to develop good ways to work together.
Continue readingWhen can we legally share protected data?
As Sunlight explores the public use of microdata, we are also exploring the practical, legal and ethical challenges of working with individual-level data.
Continue readingWhat do we want? Data about police practice!
This is an exceptional moment to get involved with law enforcement data reform.
Continue readingHow do we improve open data for police accountability?
We grant law enforcement and corrections departments the right to exercise more physical power over US citizens than we do to any other part of our government. Do we have the data we need to evaluate how they use it?
Continue readingThe flip side of anonymity: legally-identified microdata
Exploring the varied terrain of legally-identified data helps show how different datasets, even closely related datasets, may have very different levels of protection.
Continue readingAnonymization and microdata: Can we open up granular info without invading privacy?
We’re taking a closer look at a number of important questions associated with use of microdata — the individual-level data we understand to offer both enormous potential benefit and potential risk.
Continue readingExploring open data’s microdata frontier
What is "microdata" and why is it so powerful? We're exploring the challenges and opportunities of the current legal, technical and social landscape of 21st Century microdata.
Continue readingGetting serious about protecting access to public email
If we do not wish to see our rights to public records entirely erode, now is the time to get serious about protecting public access to official public email.
Continue readingCivic wants, civic needs, civic tech
Civic tech aims to solve the problems facing the people. But what are the main problems we’re solving? Who is this public we’re benefiting? What exactly is “the civic tech approach” to this public’s problems?
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