On Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.736, the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act (ACMRA). ACMRA would... View Article
Continue readingHHS Office for Civil Rights overhauled its mission and vision statements on its website
A side-by-side comparison of a portion of the March 6, 2019 and April 30, 2019 versions of OCR’s “OCR Leadership”... View Article
Continue readingSpate of anti-protest bills target social justice infrastructure
Not content to simply take aim at individual protesters, some Republican state legislators seem to be setting their sights this year on progressive institutions that have long been a thorn in conservatives’ side.
Continue readingNational Archives publishes online dashboard of its investigations into lost, altered or destroyed public records
In spring 2018, for the first time the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA) has begun using the Internet to inform the American public about its ongoing investigations of unauthorized dispositions in an online dashboard. In a year that continues to be marked by regression on open government, this is a welcome development that shines a bright light on a matter of significant public concern.
Continue readingCongress should ensure the investigation of the Special Counsel is protected
Today, the Sunlight Foundation endorsed the Special Counsel Transparency Act to preserve evidence and recommendations that result from Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller’s investigation, should President Donald J. Trump fire him.
Continue readingFacebook’s commitments to transparency before Congress are welcome, but insufficient
Unless Congress takes more time to understand and then to craft careful remedies, the emerging challenges for open government that Facebook is implicated in – from automated activity to algorithmic transparency to public speech on private platforms to data ethics and protections to anti-trust concerns to artificial intelligence – will most likely be obscured by more sound and fury emanating from Washington that ultimately signifies nothing.
Continue readingSelf-regulation isn’t enough for online political ads: Congress should pass the Honest Ads Act
Facebook and Twitter have endorsed the Honest Ads Act, but Google hasn't come out for the bill yet – and many other companies that run political ads online remain silent. Congress needs to mandate a level playing field for transparency online.
Continue readingIt’s time for a reboot on open government at the Department of Veterans Affairs
In 2016, after we highlighted missing data and non-compliance with President Obama's Open Government Directive, the agency committed to restoring public information and producing a new plan. Their promise to us and the American people to produce a self-assessment, progress report and plan for transparency and accountability has not been kept. It's time for a reboot.
Continue readingMore sunshine on health data will empower patients and caregivers
Transparency in healthcare empowers patients, caregivers, regulators and industry. Health data carries immense potential and serious risks to privacy, however, which means that everyone needs to approach opening it with care. First, do no harm.
Continue readingIn the wake of fraudulent comments, Regulations.gov revises API policy
After the Regulations.gov API was taken offline for almost two months, it's back, with new restrictions on user accounts and authorization. We don't know, but the EPA's response suggested that misuse was degrading the system.
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