At the Sunlight Foundation, we’re passionate about our mission to use technology and advocacy to catalyze a more open, transparent and accountable government. But we’re also a nonprofit and rely upon grants and donations to enable our passion and advance our mission. It’s all possible because of the generosity and help of our donors and friends — THANK YOU!
So, whether you’re a current or future donor, we want to share some great (and a few new) ways to support Sunlight’s mission to advance open data and open government that are easy and, in some cases, can double the impact of your gift.
Open Data’s Business Value Isn’t That Important
I agree with Jonathan's diagnosis of distinct strains within the open government data community. But I don't think they have to be in tension. I've argued before that a big tent is beneficial to us all -- that blurring the lines between open data for accountability and open data for economic development can serve both constituencies' needs. After all, the great thing about open information is that its supply is limitless.
Continue readingToday in #OpenGov 11/6/2013
Big Picture
- Rhetoric around open data has recently turned sharply towards its potential economic effects. The author argues that transparency and open government should be about accountability, not money. (Jonathan Gray/The Guardian)
- A new book on the 2012 campaign claims that President Obama attended a super PAC fundraiser as the race ran down, despite earlier pledges to the contrary. The White House has pushed back against that claim, saying that the party in question was merely a "thank-you" bash. (POLITICO)
- The National Republican Senatorial Committee is changing its 2012 tone and will engage in Republican primaries, potentially backing more "traditional" GOP candidates over Tea Party favorites. The NRSC hopes to avoid running flawed candidates as they try to claw back the majority in the Senate. (Roll Call)
- Recent discussions about ethics in open development have potentially posed more questions than they have answered. The ideas raised here revolve around informed consent and participation. (Open Knowledge Blog)
- As part of its endless quest to understand seemingly everything about the world, Google is urging local governments to release more data. Google will likely use local data to make user results even more personalized and localized. (Government Technology)
- Big money couldn't slow down Chris Christie's landslide victory in Virginia's gubernatorial election, but it has been used to make his life more difficult in the coming months. Outside groups have spent tens of millions on legislative races in an attempt to maintain a large Democratic majority. (New York Times)
The Week on Politwoops: A Halloween Dog, Inside a Caucus Meeting and Much More
It was a busy and image-filled week on Politwoops! Here's your review of the recent notable deleted tweets from politicians captured and archived by the project.
Continue readingIt’s the Great Halloween Open House, Sunlight Foundation*
It was a dark and mild night as Sunlight welcomed a frighteningly awesome group of friends and supporters to our... View Article
Continue readingSenator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) Has Been Systematically Deleting His Official Tweets
The office of Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., appears to be the first in Congress to systematically remove tweets from his Twitter account after they've been publicly available for months.
Continue readingEvaluating the National Action Plan 2.0 Freedom of Information Act Proposals
During this week’s Open Government Partnership meeting in London, the Obama Administration announced the broad strokes of its National Action Plan 2.0 Freedom of Information Act reforms.
The Administration’s announced plan has several goals: the implementation of an online FOIA portal, drafting of a unified set of FOIA regulations, creation of an interagency working group and an advisory committee to improve FOIA processing, and improved FOIA trainings for agency employees.
While these plans do give the transparency community reason to be cautiously optimistic, it is important to note that there is no mention of proactive disclosure anywhere in the plan. Proactive disclosure is integral to any effective transparency plan. It meaningfully increases public access while easing the burden on FOIA processing by eliminating duplicative request processing.
As for the efficacy of the goals included in the NAP 2.0 plan, the new FOIA proposals could be very positive or could make things even more difficult for requesters - the devil really is in the details.
Continue readingReintroducing OpenCongress: Now From The Sunlight Foundation
OpenCongress, the site that enables anyone to follow and explore the activities of Congress, is now proudly operated by the Sunlight Foundation. The Participatory Politics Foundation originally launched OpenCongress in 2007 and built it into a leading comprehensive, nonpartisan source for legislative information used by millions. Today, the Sunlight Foundation unveils the next stage for the project with refreshed code and a continuing commitment to build on the strong core functionality.
Continue readingSEC Poised to Improve Political Spending Transparency
The government shutdown. Single digit congressional approval ratings. Polarization and dysfunction. Not all that ails our democracy can be blamed on the Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case, but $1.2 billion in spending by outside groups—at least $300 million of that from undisclosed donors—doesn’t help create a working democracy.
There is no shortage of possible solutions—from fixing a broken FEC and changing IRS rules, to public funding of elections and a Constitutional amendment overturning Citizens United, but in the short term, the most necessary and promising solutions come in the form of more transparency of money in politics.
And it just so happens that there is some traction developing for one transparency measure.
Sunlight Teaming Up With the Open Knowledge Foundation to Create New Lobbying Transparency Working Group
The Sunlight Foundation and the Open Knowledge Foundation are teaming up to convene a new global group on lobbying transparency. We want... View Article
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