Government transparency: Single pool of storage could save money and allow better access

Deluged by data, the federal government looks to virtualized storage to create a single pool of storage capacity controlled from a central console making it easier to retrieve data. -db
NextGov
August 23, 2010
By Carolyn Duffy Marsan
The federal government is awash in data. And it’s expanding at rates faster than chief information officers can count. No [...]

Domestic spying: Uncle Sam developing ability to reach wide and deep on Internet

Through its Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has revealed that the FBI and CIA are aggressively perfecting their ability to probe social networks and the Internet for intelligence data much of which is outside the law enforcement context. -db
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Commentary
August 16, 2010
By Tim Wayne
In the midst of recent [...]

Federal transparency: Changes in administration raise questions

Transparency advocates are wondering if recent changes in Obama administration management mean that Obama is stepping back from his commitment to open government. -db
NextGov
August 16, 2010
By Aliya Sternstein
As the Obama administration gently pushes agencies to follow their transparency plans, recent changes in key management positions at the White House have watchdog groups concerned the open government [...]

Open government: Pasadena creates secret review boards to advise police chief

Legal experts say that California’s open meetings law does not allow cities to create secret advisory committees not open to the public. -db
Pasadena Star-News
August 14, 2010
By Brenda Gazzar
PASADENA – Open government advocates said city officials should release the names of members of two secret review boards that advise the police chief.
At least one expert [...]

Muslim civil liberties group files suit to force police to release information on raid resulting in cleric’s death

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is seeking details about a raid led by the FBI on a Muslim cleric suspected of running a criminal gang. The cleric was killed by agents. -db
Wall Street Journal
August 9,2010
By Alex P. Kellogg
DETROIT—A leading Muslim advocacy group is accusing local and state law-enforcement agencies of improperly withholding [...]

Performance reviews of federal contractors go online

A new law requires the Office of Management and Budget to publish contractor integrity information online. -db
NextGov
August 4, 2010
By Aliya Sternstein
A bill President Obama recently signed requires the Office of Management and Budget to disclose on a public website contractor integrity information housed in a new vendor performance database, reversing a recent [...]

Local judge blocks law journal from publishing information obtained legally

A District of Columbia Superior Court judge switched course and ruled the National Law Journal could not publish information in a fee dispute even after it obtained the information through public court documents before the judge decided to seal them. -db
Local judge blocks law journal from publishing information obtained legally
http://www.rcfp.org/newsitems/index.php?i=11501
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of [...]

Public agency pensions: Editorial reaffirms public’s right-to-know

An editorial in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat calls for the Sonoma County employee association to release information on pensioners receiving over $100,000 a year. In a recent case in Sacramento County, a judge ruled that under California’s Brown Act Sacramento County could not keep pension information from the public. -db
Pubilc agency pensions: Editorial reaffirms [...]

WikiLeaks claims benefits to releasing classified Afghan war documents

While the Obama administration downplays the importance of the classified field reports on the Afghanistan war released by  WikiLeaks July 25, WikiLeaks founder Julian Asange says the reports will increase transparency on the war and strengthen democracy and governance. -db
WikiLeaks claims release of classified Afghan war documents beneficial
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/world/26wiki.html
The New York Times
July 25, 2010
By Eric Schmitt
WikiLeaks.org, [...]

PRESS RELEASE: FAC Suit Against CalPERS Seeks Records on Controversial E Palo Alto Real Estate Investment

FAC—Monday July 19—The First Amendment Coalition (FAC) today announced that it has sued CalPERS, the retirement system for California government workers, over access to records about the agency’s ill-fated investment in an East Palo Alto residential real estate development that has gone bust–at a loss to CalPERS of all of its $100 million stake in [...]

California university opens Palin event to media

California State University, Sanislaus finally agreed to open its June 25 fundraiser featuring Sarah Palin to the media. Officials have refused to release documents concerning the fee Palin will receive for appearing. -db

Washington Post
June 19 2010
By Robin Hindery
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — After months of requests from reporters, a California university has agreed to allow [...]

Supreme Court ruling on employer montoring of e-mail messages leaves intact right of public’s right to know

While ruling that  an Ontario police department armed with a legitimate purpose had the right to inspect an officer’s text messages, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the pubic’s right to know under the California Public Records Act. The Court said that police officers should realize their writings may be subject to public viewing. -db

Washington Post [...]

New federal law requires textbook publishers to disclose prices of texts

As of July 1, the Higher Education Opportunity Act  requires textbook publishers to provide detailed information to student journalists investigating high prices and to professors making textbook selections. The law is expected to bring more flexibility in providing affordable textbooks to students. -db
Student Press Law Center
June 15, 2010
By Kelsey Ryan
A new federal law mandating greater [...]

Oregon judge asked to allow public access to files of Boy Scouts’ sex abuse

Saying “secrecy is the fertilizer of sexual abuse,” an attorney urged a county judge to open 20,000 pages of evidence of sexual abuse in the Boy Scouts of America. -db
Courthouse News Service
June 15, 2010
By Travis Sanford
PORTLAND, Ore. (CN) – “Secrecy is the fertilizer of sexual abuse!” attorney Kelly Clark thundered in his opening remarks, urging [...]

Government agency launches website to help public monitor oil spill

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has launched GeoPlatform.gov, a data-rich website to enable the pubic to track the spread of the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico and find out other crucial information. -db
NextGov
June 14, 2010
By Bob Brewin
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration launched a slick and data-rich website on Monday that the public [...]

Federal court allows New York police to keep convention surveillance records secret

The New York City Police Department won a victory as the 2nd Circuit panel ruled that it did not have to release police surveillance records gathered before the 2004 Republican National Convention. The panel found in this case that police privilege trumped the public’s right to know. -db

Courthouse News Service
June 9, 2010
By Nick Divito

(CN) – [...]

ACLU sues over access to surveillance documents

The American Civil Liberties filed suit in federal district court to obtain documents concerning the federal government’s surveillance of U.S. citizens using the electronic media to communicate with people overseas. -db

FierceGovernment
June 7 2010
By David Perera
The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit June 3 in a New York federal district court to receive documents pertaining to [...]

Transparency presents challenges for citizens

Nick Judd of techPresident writes that open data alone does not allow the public to participate meaningfully. The citizenry needs training in assessing the reliability of  data and also in interpreting it. -db

techPresident
May 26, 2010
By Nick Judd

This morning, danah boyd summed up the problem with the open data movement in a simple declarative statement: “Transparency [...]

Public interest groups ask U.S. Supreme Court to overturn ruling they claim detrimental to Freedom of Information Act

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press joined other public interest groups in filing a brief asking the Supreme Court to overturn a Third Circuit opinion that would extend privacy rights to corporations, potentially limiting investigations into such disasters as the West Virginia mining deaths and the gulf oil spill. -db

Reporters Committee for Freedom [...]

Orange County court denies Sierra Club low cost access to parcel map system

An Orange County Superior Court judge ruled in a lawsuit brought by the Sierra Club  that the California Public Records Act (CPRA)  did not require the county to provide its Landbase parcel map system at little or no cost. In a ruling last year a state appeals court ruled in a First Amendment Coalition lawsuit [...]

New study questions premise that government secrecy promotes better decision-making

A new report challenges the view that government deliberations must be private to achieve candor. The authors of the report say that secrecy actually discourages dissenters from voicing their concerns. -db

Secrecy News
May 20, 2010
By Steven Aftergood

When the Supreme Court ordered the Nixon White House to comply with a subpoena for the Watergate tapes in the [...]

Schwarzenegger wants to halt reimbursement to local governments for open government costs

Unable to pay the last $300,000 in a $20 million reimbursement to local governments for the costs of posting agendas and providing copies of documents, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing in his budget that the state no longer require local governments to inform the public but still hold them to providing public access to documents [...]

Federal data warehouse updated for one-year anniversary of Data.gov

The Obama administration announced that they plan to launch a new online depot of downloadable federal stats, equivalent to a YouTube video-sharing website. Observers say that new applications promise to make it easer to use, share and understand government databases. -db

NextGov
May 19, 2010
By Aliya Sternstein
The White House on Friday will unveil an upgraded online depot [...]

British Petroleum not divulging test results on worker safety in gulf oil spill

Critics are saying that the federal government is not doing enough to get BP to improve monitoring in the gulf oil spill and to release test results on worker exposure to evaporating oil and burning oil. -db

McClatchy Newspapers
Commentary
May 18, 2010
By Marisa Taylor and Renee Schoof
WASHINGTON, D.C. — BP, the company in charge of the [...]

Search continues for Bush e-mails gone missing

CREW and the National Security Archive are asking government agencies to intensify efforts to conserve e-mails as they suspect that even more Bush e-mails are missing than thought previously. -db

NextGov
May 17, 2010
By Aliya Sternstein
The George W. Bush administration failed to archive 83 percent of e-mails for 21 days during a two-year period, according to watchdog [...]

Pennsylvania: Federal judge orders school to allow students and parents to see Webcam spy photos

While authorities are investigating whether a school district committed any crimes in sying on students through school-issued Macbooks, a federal judge ordered the Lower Merion School District to allow students and parents to view the screenshots taken in their homes. -db

Wired
May 17, 2010
By David Kravets
Suburban Philadelphia parents and their high school-age children soon will [...]

Tracy, California: Journalists seek access to records in child murder case

The Associated Press, Stockton Record and the Bay Area News Group filed a motion to lift the gag order and unseal court records in the Sandra Cantu murder case. -db

Tracy Press
May 12, 2010
By TP staff
Three news companies today filed a motion to lift the gag order and unseal court records in the Sandra Cantu murder [...]

Federal bailout: Senate votes audits for bank loans

Senate approves audit of Federal Reserve’s emergency loans to banks beginning in late 2007. The House already passed an even tougher audit requirement late in 2009. -db
The New York Times
May 11, 2010
By David M. Herszenhorn

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate voted unanimously on Tuesday to require an audit of the Federal Reserve’s emergency actions during [...]

Prosecutors claim disclosure in Gizmodo/iPhone case would compromise informants’ identity

Prosecutors investigating Gizmodo’s acquiring a prototype iPhone say  that to protect the identity of informants it was necessary to deny news outlets access to the search warrant affidavit that led to confiscation of an editor’s computers in his home. -db

Wired
May 10, 2010
By David Kravets
California prosecutors investigating Gizmodo’s purchase of a prototype iPhone have offered [...]

Disputing Citizens United opinion: Reporters find campaign contributions lack transparency

Contrary to Justice Anthony Kennedy’s majority opinion in the Citizens United case on campaign finance that with the Internet, information on corporate spending in political campaigns was more accessible than ever, Washington reporters going online to examine recent fundraisers were unable to determine which companies and special interests attended and how much money they contributed.-db

ProPublica
Commentary
May [...]

Two California urban counties and the state government gain high marks for transparency

After a nationwide analysis of government websites, the Sunshine Review awarded 57 state and local governments and their agencies top scores for transparency. -db

Sunshine Review
Press Release
April 29, 2010

The best state and local government websites in America for transparency today received a “Sunny Award” from Sunshine Review.
Two California counties were among those winning recognition. The [...]

Google’s new Public Data Explorer raises questions about access to public records

With new search avenues,  journalists will have greater ability to search public records, but some public agencies across the country claim ownership rights to the records and are reluctant to make records available and even one state, Oklahoma, has raised millions in revenue from selling data. -db

Citizen Media Law Project
Analysis
April 28, 2010
By Helen Fu

In March, [...]

Same-sex marriage referendum: Supreme Court justices voice skepticism about keeping signatures private

In hearing arguments about keeping referendum signatures private in a referendum to repeal Washington’s domestic partnership law, several justices appeared unsympathetic to arguments of the attorney opposing making the signatures public. -db

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
April 28, 2010
By Mara Zimmerman

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared skeptical of the argument that signatures on [...]

Federal prosecutors complain that judge is blocking criminal probe of school webcam spying

A federal district judge has ordered that evidence be restricted to those connected to a civil lawsuit charging invasion of privacy when a school district spied on students using school-issued webcams. Federal prosecutors has asked the judge to modify the order so they can conduct a criminal investigation of the district. -db
Wired
April 26, [...]

Lassen County: Charter school called to task denied request to keep records private

The Westwood Unified School district has demanded that Westwood Charter School take immediate steps to correct alleged violations of California law and to provide an extensive list of documents concerning management, the budget, personnel, and student progress. -db

Lassen County Times
April 27, 2010

Westwood Charter School must provide all requested documents, take steps to cure and [...]

California district court rules medical board correctly published information on doctor’s disciplinary action

A former doctor lost his lawsuit against the Medical Board of California for publishing information about his case after he agreed to surrender his license to practice medicine. The district Court of Appeal ruled that the board complied with California law in releasing information about a malpractice judgment against him in Orange County and the [...]

Marin news staff wins Freedom of Information award in CNPA contest

A team of journalists on the staff of Marin’s Independent Journal won first place for Freedom of Information reporting in the 2009 California Newsaper Publisher Association contest. The staff members won for their work in getting the county to release payroll details that shed light on budget problems. -db

Marin Independent Journal
April 20, 2010
By Brad Breithaupt
WINNING [...]

Adobe criticizes Apples on open government

After criticism last year that it produced products unfriendly to open government, Adobe has attacked Apple for blocking programs for sharing government information. -db

NextGov
April 21, 2010
By Aliya Sternstein

Adobe Systems Inc., which was criticized last year for developing products that make it difficult to extract federal data, unleashed a salvo against Apple for blocking common programs [...]

Facts point to the lack of government transparency as a cause of mine deaths

A mine inspector’s notes about the Massey Energy mine in West Virginia showed that the ventilation system was not working to keep deadly gases and coal dust from rising to explosive levels, but these notes were not made public until after the explosion that killed 29 miners. -db

The Huffington Post
April 14, 2010
By Dan Froomkin
Back in [...]

Senate committee approves bill to speed freedom of information requests

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Faster Freedom of Information Act, a law that would establish a commission to study the problem of delays in FOIA requests and recommend changes to speed the process. -db

CREW
April 15, 2010
By Jeremy Miller
Today the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Faster Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), bipartisan legislation sponsored by [...]

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