Understanding who wants to use public information and why is one of the best things cities can do to improve the impact and relevance of their open data programs. The Sunlight Open Cities team helps city staff develop open data user personas, and we wanted to share some of these personas to spark ideas and inspiration for open data staff in other cities.
Continue readingFacebook’s opacity in Seattle shows why self-regulation on digital disclosure isn’t enough
The public should be able to easily see the source of campaign ads though disclaimers and online disclosures, no matter where we live or what network, platform or device we view them on, so that we can understand who is seeking to influence our elections. Transparency is a necessary but insufficient measure to detect and deter influence, whatever city or state people live in.
Continue readingWhat Trump’s release of the memo tells us about transparency in DC
The selective declassification of this memorandum -- but not the one drafted by Democrats on the committee – is an indicator of bad faith on open government, not a commitment to fully informing the public about how surveillance is used, abused or authorized in U.S. government.
Continue reading6 Ways to Free the Freedom of Information Act
In its first meeting of 2018, the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee unanimously voted to approve a series of recommendations. If implemented, they would improve transparency, accountability and efficiency in administering the nation's preeminent public records law at federal government agencies. Bonus news: a new FOIA.gov is coming soon.
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.
Continue readingHelp improve public access to public information
As 2017 comes to a close, we hope you'll help open governments in the year to come by making a donation to Sunlight today.
Continue readingAmericans view U.S. government as increasingly corrupt
Over the past year, a new survey by the Transparency International found that American adults believe corruption has increased in the United States, with the White House being the most corrupt government institution. The results are bad news, with one exception: the vast majority of the public still believes that they can make a difference on corruption, a viewpoint that we at Sunlight also share. Here are six ways to make progress.
Continue readingCities across the Americas discuss data for social impact at OGP 2017
The Open Government Partnership's 2017 Americas Regional Meeting included a new focus on cities, and it opened conversations about data, experiences, and shared learning across continents. Here's what we heard from three days in Buenos Aires.
Continue readingThe most innovative ideas in data are going to come from communities
Diverse ideas and perspectives from residents are the most powerful opportunities for data innovation. Above: participants at Civic Hack Night... View Article
Continue readingHow federal agencies are quietly removing government Web resources, and why it matters
Under the Trump administration, federal agencies have been removing important Web resources without proactive notice or justification. We should hold our government accountable to clearly explain its actions and not remove Web content when there’s no good reason for doing so.
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