From OMB Watch:
At the close of President Obama’s first 200 days in office, the administration has demonstrated a willingness to experiment with new technologies and their potential role in making government more participatory and accountable. New e-government tools have been deployed to keep track of government spending, gather public input on policymaking, and convey the [...]
Archive of entries posted on August 2009
The Rise of Gov 2.0
Governor Quinn Signs Major Legislation to Increase Transparency in State Government
Press Release:
Governor Pat Quinn joined with Attorney General Lisa Madigan and members of the Illinois Reform Commission to sign bills to increase transparency and accountability in state government. The legislation strengthens the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and ensures the state’s boards and commissions are open and accessible to the public.
Bill Summary
Bill Overview
Assessing the Health of FOIA After 2000 through the Lens of the National Security Archive and Federal Government Audits
From Law Library Journal (vol. 101, no. 3):
Using audits by the National Security Archive and the General Accounting Office, the authors review the “state of health” of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) since 2000 in the context of increased national security concerns after the September 2001 attacks in the United States.
China Scales Back Software Filter Plan
From the New York Times:
Chinese officials retreated on Thursday from a plan to install so-called anti-pornography software on every computer sold here, saying instead that Internet cafes, schools and other public places must use the program, but that individual consumers will be spared.
Public spied on 1,500 times a day in UK, study finds
From the Washington Post:
Police, councils and the intelligence services made more than 500,000 requests to access private emails and telephone records in the UK last year, according to an annual surveillance report.
The figures, compiled by the Interception of Communications Commissioner, Paul Kennedy, found that about 1,500 surveillance requests were made every day in Britain.
That is [...]
China’s Internet a major concern to officials
From Agence France-Presse:
The Internet in China has become a major concern for officials, who are increasingly being scrutinised by the general public, a government adviser said Monday.
“The Internet has become the most powerful media in every government official’s daily life,” said Steven Dong, an adviser to the State Council — China’s Cabinet — on publicity [...]
Malaysia denies Internet filter will curb dissent
From the Washington Post:
Malaysia denied on Friday that a proposed Internet filter would be used to police blogs and websites, saying it would be used only to block pornography.
The denial comes after news that the Southeast Asian country was considering setting up an Internet filter similar to China’s “Green Dam” software, a move the opposition [...]
U.S. tests system to break foreign Web censorship
From Reuters:
The U.S. government is covertly testing technology in China and Iran that lets residents break through screens set up by their governments to limit access to news on the Internet.
The “feed over email” (FOE) system delivers news, podcasts and data via technology that evades web-screening protocols of restrictive regimes, said Ken Berman, head of [...]
Why The Associated Press plans to hold some web content off the wire
From the Nieman Journalism Lab:
In a break with tradition, The Associated Press plans to prevent members and customers from publishing some AP content on their websites. Instead, those news organizations would link to the content on a central AP website — a move that could upend the consortium’s traditional notions of syndication.
That’s one revelation from [...]
Why I believe in the link economy
From Reuters:
I believe in the link economy. Please feel free to link to our stories — it adds value to all producers of content. I believe you should play fair and encourage your readers to read-around to what others are producing if you use it and find it interesting.
I don’t believe you could or should [...]