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 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 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.
Continue readingCelebrating data and evidence at the 2017 What Works Cities Summit
As in past years, Sunlight headed to New York City for the annual conference convened by What Works Cities, an initiative funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies that provides support for American cities to improve how they apply data and evidence with their communities.
Continue readingAn Iowan Path To Open Data In Des Moines
We’re proud to have helped Des Moines develop and implement an approach to open data that addresses the distinct challenges faced by city officials and the community they serve.
Continue readingHow opening data and policy to the public online can make both better
By leveraging a collaborative approach online to draft its open data policy, the City of Buffalo is off to a good start in engaging its community.
Continue reading