From OMB Watch:
Three nonprofit organizations that have been tracking the Recovery Act today called for the Obama administration to overhaul its jobs data system before releasing its first large set of data on Oct. 30.
Based on what they called very disappointing data quality and presentation in the release of a very small amount of federal [...]
Archive of entries posted on October 2009
Groups Call for Recovery.gov Overhaul Before Major Data Release on October 30
“Let the Sunshine In”
From the White House blog:
Here at the White House, those of us on team Recovery Act put a very high premium on transparency and accountability. Like they say, “sunlight’s the best disinfectant,” and when it comes to tracking the $787 billion economic stimulus plan, our view is that we should let the sunshine in.
Well, today, [...]
House bill supports public access to CRS reports
From The Gov Docs Guy blog:
A new House bill would open Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports to the public. The measure, H.R. 3762, closely mirrors a Senate bill introduced by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) in the spring.
The Open Internet Blog
From the Open Internet Blog:
The Internet’s open architecture has enabled this network of networks to become a unparalleled platform for innovation and speech, as well as an enduring engine for economic growth. Last month, I proposed that the FCC adopt a fair and high-level framework to preserve an open Internet.
While my goals are clear, the [...]
San Francisco, the city that’s open for data – How DataSF.org, which publishes dozens of official data sets, is starting to transform life and politics in San Francisco
From the Guardian:
A few months ago, the mayor of San Francisco met some of the city’s leading technology entrepreneurs. On the surface, it looked like little more than a photo opportunity – a chance for the smooth and ambitious mayor, Gavin Newsom, to smile and glad-hand with Twitter and a string of other hot internet [...]
Congress Moves to Bar Release of Abuse Photos
From Secrecy News:
House and Senate conferees last week approved legislation that would preempt the Freedom of Information Act and permit the Secretary of Defense to withhold from release photographs and other visual media if he determines that their public disclosure “would endanger citizens of the United States, members of the United States Armed Forces, or [...]
California County Hoarding Map Data Ordered to Pay $500,000
From Wired:
A California county’s three-year battle to prevent a nonprofit group from obtaining public mapping data has ended disastrously for the county after it was ordered by a court to pay the group $500,000 in legal costs.
Last February, Santa Clara County, the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, was ordered to hand over the public records [...]
Open Access to Research Is Inevitable, Libraries Are Told
From the Chronicle of Higher Education:
Public access to research is “inevitable,” but it will be a slog to get to it. That was the takeaway message of a panel on the role libraries can play in supporting current and future public-access moves. The panel was part of the program at the membership meeting of the [...]
Ottawa nixes bid to expand transparency
From The Globe and Mail:
The Harper government has quietly nixed recommendations to expand and modernize Canada’s access-to-information and privacy laws.
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson’s rejection of reforms to the 26-year-old laws sparked accusations Thursday that the Tories have reneged on campaign promises to bring openness and transparency to the federal government.
California Library Association Passes Resolution to Restore Civil Liberties: USA PATRIOT Act
From the California Library Association:
The California Library Association (CLA) has just announced a resolution calling on Congress to dramatically revise the up-for-renewal USA PATRIOT Act, passed hurriedly in the weeks following the 9/11 attacks.
CLA Resolution on 2009 Reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act (481k)