Almost a year into the Trump presidency, we have seen are substantial public information removals and overhauls of federal webpages, documents, and entire websites, as well as significant shifts in language and messaging across the federal Web domain.
Continue readingToday in OpenGov: Saying goodbye to a flawed fraud commission
In today's edition, President Trump disbands his "voter fraud" commission, we think that members of Congress should disclose their bitcoin holdings, France considers a law to fight fake news, and much more.
Continue readingCongressional ethics disclosures should include cryptocurrencies like bitcoin
It's incumbent on Congress to respond to a novel technological development and make it clear to all of its members that asset disclosure now includes cryptocurrencies.
Continue readingToday in OpenGov: Taxable income
In today's edition, we share some more stories from a busy holiday break as well as all of yesterday's news. Highlights include a look at who will benefit most in Washington from tax reform, continued fallout over sexual harassment secrecy in Congress, bad news for Vladimir Putin's most significant political challenger, and more.
Continue readingToday in OpenGov: Resolutions
Happy new year! Welcome to 2018's first edition of the Today in OpenGov! While this newsletter took a much-needed break, Sunlight stayed busy in December. Thank you for all of your donations and support as the year came to a close. Today, we'll update you on the important (and fun) stories from our staff and contributors that you may have missed. We'll also round up some of the top open government stories from the holiday season. Without further ado, Today in OpenGov...
Continue readingA voice for American democracy, today and tomorrow
This year was unlike any other, and Sunlight's work making government transparent and accountable is more important than ever.
Continue readingNew York City commits to open data and open code
New laws passed in New York City in 2017 have made the metropolis an international trailblazer in open government data and algorithmic transparency.
Continue readingNational Park Service removes climate action plans from website
The National Park Service (NPS) removed 92 documents describing park climate action plans from their website. The NPS claimed that the removals are temporary while reports are updated to improve usability compliance, but no advance notice, public Web archive, or explanation why the documents could not remain on the site until material is prepared was provided.
Continue readingFederal judge says it is the role of Congress to address Trump’s emolumental issues
A federal judge has dismissed a foreign emoluments lawsuit against President Donald J. Trump, which alleged Constitutional violations through his businesses. The judge said the plaintiffs lacked standing, and that this should be resolved by Congress. We hope to see more oversight and accountability in DC in the New Year.
Continue readingNew York State’s 2018 democracy agenda will include more sunshine for online advertising
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a new "democracy agenda to protect election integrity, including a first-in-the-nation state law to require disclosures and disclaimers for online political ads. The legislative proposal, which is modeled upon the Honest Ads Act that Sunlight helped draft in Congress, would similarly expand the state's definition of political communication (electioneering) to include paid digital and Internet advertising, require platforms to maintain a public file of paid political ads, and make reasonable efforts to prevent foreign actors from buying ads.
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