Inviting public comments on draft policy can be a daunting proposition, especially in the age of angry Internet comments. Knowing how residents in other cities have responded to draft open data policy can help make that process more approachable. To better understand that we took a look at the most common sentiments in draft open data policy comments.

Our analysis of public feedback on the draft open data policies posted by nine American cities online found that comments focus most on governance, usability and privacy. We hope cities will apply this information towards more meaningfully engage with the public.