The German Federal Ministry of the Interior has sent a cease and desist order to the Freedom of Information (FOI) portal FragDenStaat.de for publishing a document received under the German federal FOI law.
Continue readingWhy I care about open data (and you do too)
Sunlight's new policy manager, Emily Shaw, offers some perspective on the importance and universality of open data.
Continue readingWhy Congress might be more productive – and less partisan – than you think
By now, most Americans think Congress is incredibly unproductive and remarkably polarized. But if we look at the hard data on our 2013 lawmakers, a slightly different story emerges.
Continue readingA troubling anti-transparency provision has appeared in the omnibus budget bill
Tucked away within the more than 1,500 pages of the omnibus budget bill is a small paragraph with potentially big effects for transparency efforts.
Continue readingRomanian parliament exempts itself from anti-corruption laws
In early December, the Romanian parliament passed amendments to the country's criminal code that make certain public officials exempt from corruption charges, including bribery, conflicts of interests, and abuse of office.
Continue readingGovernment Accountability and Transparency Board to Hear Public Testimony on January 22
The Government Accountability and Transparency Board (GAT Board) is holding an open meeting next Wednesday, January 22. The board will be hearing presentations from the public and is specifically looking for feedback from users of federal spending data.
Continue readingExploring the Sunlight Foundation
In a recent fellowship, I joined Sunlight with two main objectives: learn about the impact of Sunlight’s research on public policy, and learn about the use of open data for the development of solutions that are citizen-oriented.
Continue readingIntroduction to the Freedom of Information Act
In anticipation of Sunshine Week 2014, we’re preparing several posts on FOIA. We'll be writing about our experiences, and inviting others to contribute theirs. To start, here’s a quick rundown of the Freedom of Information Act.
Continue readingFITARA Isn’t a Panacea for Government IT Contracting
Ever since Healthcare.gov's epic launch failure, problems with IT procurement have entered the mainstream. Can a promising new bill known as FITARA fix the system?
Continue readingThe Year in Local Open Data
This was a landmark year for local open data — take a look back at some of the advances that were made.
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