Improving Access

EPIC Looks to Maintain Open Government Rules at Defense Agency

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) submitted extensive comments to the Defense Logistics Agency, opposing proposed changes to the agency’s FOIA program.

12/11/2012

Agencies Missing the Tools for Transparency

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is the public’s gateway to information about its government. That gateway, however, is often obstructed by lack of resources, a culture of secrecy, and what US Attorney General Eric Holder described in his 2009 FOIA memo as “unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles.” In our Managing FOIA blog, we chronicled our recent experiences with these hurdles, inefficiencies, and inconsistencies. Today, the National Security Archive shed some light on why these obstacles persist.

12/04/2012

EFF Updates Transparency Project

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) re-launched its Transparency Project last week, improving its successful FOIA project by adding greater accessibility to documents and reporting on government transparency. Document-search capabilities are enhanced, and visitors can now explore EFF’s history of transparency litigation and requesting from its founding in 1990.

11/13/2012

Managing FOIA - Sometimes the FOIA Process Seems to Defy Logic

About a month ago, we launched Managing FOIA, a blog to chronicle our experience with the FOIA process at several agencies.

11/13/2012

OpenTheGov Blog Tracks, Compares FOIA Processes

OpenTheGovernment.org recently launched a blog, Managing FOIA, to compare the experience using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) at different federal agencies.

The blog tracks the progress of our request at 17 agencies. Three of the requests were made using the recently-launched FOIAonline website. The remaining requests were made using either the agency's online submission form or via email to the 14 agencies that received the highest number of requests in 2011.

10/16/2012

FOIAonline Explained

On October 1st, FOIAonline, a service that makes it easier for the public to make and track requests for government information made under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) at participating agencies, went live. Click "Read more" to see how the system works.

09/27/2012

DOJ Guidance Brings Measure of Accountability to FOIA Responses

Last week the Office of Information Policy (OIP) at the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued guidance to make agencies' use of exceptions to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) more transparent. The guidance should help bring clarity and accountability to a practice that concerns many openness advocates.

09/18/2012

Requesting Records through FOIAonline: Early Observations

Last week OpenTheGovernment.org launched a project to compare the experience of requesting government records using FOIAonline, a recently launched website that allows users who sign up for an account to easily make and track Freedo

09/16/2012

Partners File Briefs in Supreme Court Case on State Freedom of Information Laws

On October 5th, the Supreme Court agreed to review the Virginia freedom of information law that limits access to state documents to Virginia residents.

09/16/2012

5 Issues Congress Should Seriously Consider

As the public begins to decide who should represent them in the halls of Congress during the next session, we thought it would be a good time to begin thinking about what issues the 113^th Congress should address to make the federal government more open and accountable. Read more for our list:

09/14/2012

Our Focus Issues