The city has released details of a plan to help provide even more transparency and efficiency to city governance.
The Open Data Strategic Plan uses a comprehensive method termed the “open data census,” to help officials better track and confront crime and other quality of life issues, and for residents to find out what various city agencies are doing.
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Read More… from Philadelphia looks to become more transparent
Eight months after it was formed, the city’s Open Government Task Force is putting the finishing touches on recommendations it hopes will make it easier for residents to engage with their government.
The nine-member panel, which was formed in the wake of the death of 13-year-old Andy Lopez, found that City Hall needs to restore public trust by being more transparent, engaged with the community and adept at communicating in times of crisis.
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Read More… from Seeking government transparency in Santa Rosa
A housing agency's leader Little Rock, Arkansas has pleaded not guilty to a charge that he failed to comply with the Freedom of Information Act by withholding documents from an Arkansas newspaper.
Metropolitan Housing Alliance Executive Director Rodney Forte entered the plea Thursday and is set to stand trial on the misdemeanor charge in January, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/1uFGKJA ) reported.
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Read More… from Arkansas housing chief pleads not guilty to violating Freedom of Information Act
The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on a bill to update the Freedom of Information Act as one of its first items once lawmakers return to Washington next week.
The committee is planning to vote on the FOIA Improvement Act on the morning of Nov. 13, it announced on Friday.
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People seeking public documents in Weston soon will have to pay a fee.
A new ordinance allows the city to charge a fee for locating public documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act. The fee will be equivalent to the rate of pay of the employee who conducts the search and produces the documents.
There also is a $1 charge per page for reproducing public documents. Continue>>>
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When the District of Columbia first issued terms and conditions of use for its data, transparency advocates and civic hackers made their complaints known.
Among the concerned parties was Josh Tauberer, founder of bill-tracking website GovTrack.us, who questioned if he would need a lawyer to hack in D.C. Tauberer highlighted vague and questionable terms, including one stating that website users would not encourage others to engaged in any conduct that would give rise to civil liability.
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Read More… from How Public Opinion Is Shaping Open Data in Washington, DC
It looms over the road leading to Amazon's headquarters in Seattle. The 48-foot-wide billboard offers a query, but it's actually a challenge. "The $600 million question: What's the CIA doing on Amazon's cloud?" it asks.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos surely has noticed the massive sign, unless he arrives at work by drone.
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Read More… from ‘What’s the CIA doing on Amazon’s cloud?’ Open-government activists want to know
LANSING – Progress Michigan learned today that the Michigan Department of Community Health has illegally purged department head communications from its databases.
Three departments within Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration are using stall tactics, illegal maneuvers and unnecessary staff reviews to keep communications between department directors and top officials in the Governor’s office secret.
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Read More… from Michigan Snyder Admin Destroys Emails Sought Through FOIA
Sharyl Attkisson isn't afraid to criticize the Obama administration, because she believes she's just saying what every journalist already knows.
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Public pension funds have been a boon for private-equity firms, pouring billions into the industry in recent years. But some of the biggest p.e. firms are blanching at the transparency that such public investments can bring—and they are fighting back against it.
Public pensions have received public-records requests for documents covering their relationships with p.e. firms, notably about fees. But p.e. firms have been largely successful in avoiding such revelations, through lobbying and threats.
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Read More… from P.E. Firms Fight Freedom Of Information Requests
