NFOIC – Page 424 – National Freedom of Information Coalition

Iowa Freedom of Information Council: Iowa more open with public information

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From press-citizen.com: The Iowa Freedom of Information Council released its annual “State of Freedom of Information in Iowa” report at its annual business meeting Thursday in Iowa City, detailing a slew of public information developments over the last year.

Most notably, the Iowa Public Information Board began full operations in July. The board meets monthly to review complaints from citizens who say their requests for public information have been wrongly denied.

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Opinion: Technology pushes the boundaries of Iowa sunshine laws

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From The Gazette: Times sure have changed since the first public meeting convened in the Senate Chamber of the Old Capitol in Iowa City.

Many of the dozen or so attendees at the Iowa Public Information Board meeting there on Thursday were messing around with some electronic devices.

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This technology is more than a distraction, it’s pushing at the boundaries of Iowa Open Meeting Law first drafted back in 1978.

Visit The Gazette for more.

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ACLU sues Missouri Department of Corrections, alleges Sunshine Law violation

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From St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri is suing the state corrections department, alleging that it ignored the group’s request to view records about the state’s execution drug.

In the lawsuit filed Friday in circuit court in Cole County, the group said it submitted a written request on Aug. 26 for records concerning the state’s supply of the drug propofol, which the state plans to use for executions on Oct. 23 and Nov. 20.

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NSA inundated by FOIA requests after Snowden leaks

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From MuckRock: A veritable FOIA frenzy ensued in 2013 following a series of leaks about NSA surveillance programs, recently released documents show.

From June 6 to September 4, the National Security Agency’s FOIA load increased 1,054 percent over its 2012 intake. In that three-month span, the agency received 3,382 public records requests. For comparison, the NSA received just 293 requests over the same period in 2012.

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NFOIC’s State FOIA Friday for October 4, 2013

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From NFOIC: A few state FOIA and local open government news items selected from many of interest that we might or might not have drawn attention to earlier in the week. While you're at it, be sure to check out State FOIA Friday Archives.

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Mailtap – USPS documents expose how local police and the federal government spy on your mail

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From Open Watch: For a very long time, the public has placed a tremendous amount of trust in the United States Postal Service. Even in 2013, the public voted USPS to be the most trusted Federal agency, and the fourth most-trusted company for privacy in the world. Because of their perceived respect for privacy, USPS is the go-to shipper of drugs used by Silk Road suppliers and customers, and even whistle-blowing organizations like Wikileaks have advised that “postal networks offer the strongest form of anonymity and are good for bulk truth-telling.”

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Open government closed, watchdogs shut out

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From Project on Government Oversight: With the government shutdown in full swing, you sort of expect these messages, but actually receiving them is still surreal:

“Out of Office Reply: Due to the government shutdown, OSC is currently closed. I will respond to your email message when OSC reopens. Thank you.”

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The government shutdown is terrible for transparency

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From National Journal: Thursday morning’s New York Times starts with a blockbuster story on Obamacare:

“A sweeping national effort to extend health coverage to millions of Americans will leave out two-thirds of the poor blacks and single mothers and more than half of the low-wage workers who do not have insurance, they very kinds of people that the program was intended to help, according to an analysis of census data by The New York Times.”

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Oakland, Code for America unveil public records program

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From Oakland North: In a push to improve government transparency, Oakland city officials on Tuesday launched RecordTrac, a new program designed by Code for America that allows users to request public records online.

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Author: NFOIC

Posts by NFOIC

Iowa Freedom of Information Council: Iowa more open with public information

Opinion: Technology pushes the boundaries of Iowa sunshine laws

ACLU sues Missouri Department of Corrections, alleges Sunshine Law violation

NSA inundated by FOIA requests after Snowden leaks

NFOIC’s State FOIA Friday for October 4, 2013

Mailtap – USPS documents expose how local police and the federal government spy on your mail

Open government closed, watchdogs shut out

The government shutdown is terrible for transparency

Oakland, Code for America unveil public records program