Public- and private-sector experts from Mexico and the United States explored how laws granting public access to government information can be more effective at a recent Wilson Center event. Mexico's freedom of information law is hailed by some experts as a “gold standard” because it set a high bar: treating all information as public rather than secret. Those same experts agree, however, that legal and cultural changes are needed to make the system more effective. Mexico is still working to create a supporting set of laws for its freedom of information centerpiece. IFAI, the autonomous government body overseeing freedom of information in Mexico, is working to gain more enforcement power that will help it ensure government officials comply with the law. As the law stands now, IFAI has little power to tell a federal body that they must comply with freedom of information standards.
Continue readingSomething fishy in proposed rule changes?
A proposed rule change from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Fisheries Service would restrict the public’s access to data about... View Article
Continue reading39% of Office of Legal Counsel Opinions Kept from the Public
by Daniel Schuman and Adeeb Sahar The Department of Justice is withholding from online publication 39% (or 201) of its... View Article
Continue readingFollowing the Law
One of the most precise ways to follow an issue you care about is to identify where it sits in... View Article
Continue readingThe News Without Transparency: DEA FOIA rejections have increased 114 percent since the end of Bush administration
News Without Transparency – DEA FOIA rejections have increased 114 percent since end of Bush administration FOIA.gov can’t improve federal... View Article
Continue readingScout: Sunlight’s New Custom Alert Service
A core mission of the Sunlight Foundation is to enable citizen participation through technology and lower the bar to access government. Through our free tools we're constantly looking for ways to produce a more transparent and accountable government. Today, we're proud to introduce Scout, a tool that allows you to create customized keyword alerts to notify you whenever issues you care about are included in legislative or regulatory actions.
Continue readingScout is Already Delivering Results
Scout isn’t even out of beta, but it’s already having a positive impact on lawmaking. You can see how in... View Article
Continue readingOpen Government and Florida’s Project Sunburst
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the guest blogger and those providing comments are theirs alone and do not reflect the... View Article
Continue readingHawaii open government under attack
All is not well in the Aloha state. “Sunshine” advocates including Rep. Barbara Marumoto are rising up to oppose a... View Article
Continue readingThe News Without Transparency: $10 Million Fine on Red Cross Highlights its Troubled History of Blood Services
News Without Transparency-10 Million Fine on Red Cross Highlights Its Troubled History of Blood Services Policy Intern Cassandra LaRussa researched... View Article
Continue reading