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 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 readingClassifying changes to public access to information on US government websites
Changes to Web content can be especially confusing and opaque to the public when agencies don’t proactively document and explain how and why they change their websites. By clearly laying out how agencies are managing Web resources and changing websites using this classification system, our goal is to inform the public and lawmakers, gain insight into better systems for digital resource management, and provide information that can help keep our government accountable.
Continue readingStart spreading the news: New York is opening more data today
The City of New York is working on broadening the impact and users of open data in the Big Apple as deadlines mandated in the landmark 2012 law draw nearer.
Continue readingWord gets around: Chattanooga adopts Facebook chatbot for open data
Inspired by Kansas City’s experiment with a Facebook "chatbot" for open data, Chattanooga has now made their own. This is a great example of how open cities can learn from one another, adopting and adapting innovative tools for their own communities.
Continue readingIn Kansas City, residents have a new friend on Facebook: an open data chatbot
Just because data is open doesn’t mean it’s easy to use. Kansas City wants to see if its Facebook chatbot can change that.
Continue readingHarris Fellows to help us shine a light on what works in cities
This summer, Sunlight will be working with fellows from the Harris School exploring public policy issues and providing opportunities that to expand their knowledge and skills.
Continue readingAmerican political leaders need to defend the freedom of the press
Last night, Guardian reporter Ben C. Jacobs tweeted that Greg Gianforte, the Republican candidate for Montana’s Congressional seat, had “just... View Article
Continue readingDefunding statistical agencies poses risks to economies and public knowledge
In an age of public distrust and misinformation, it's critical for national governments to invest in statistical agencies to inform the public.
Continue readingState watchdogs face challenges monitoring threats to open records laws
State and local government watchdogs around the United States face major challenges keeping up proposed changes to public records laws in state legislatures.
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