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OTG Launches New Torture Report Timeline

From the launch of the investigation into the Central Intelligence Agency’s detention and interrogation program in 2009 to present day, click through time in OTG’s new behind-the-scenes summary of the key milestones in the fight to prevent the public from reading the torture report. The Torture Report Timeline is designed to be a tangible resource for the public to

Investigating the Use of Facial Recognition: A Joint Project with MuckRock

Across the country, facial recognition technology is being quietly acquired and used by government agencies of all sizes. More than half of all adults in the United States are in at least one database used for facial recognition, according to an estimate from the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law. The full extent

Private Prison Information Act: Senator Cardin Introduces Legislation Following OTG Hill Briefing

Open the Government and the ACLU co-hosted a briefing at the Russell Senate Office Building to discuss the lack of accountability surrounding private prisons, jails, and detention centers that house federal inmates. After sharing opening remarks at the event, Senator Ben Cardin officially introduced S. 2773, the Private Prison Information Act (PPIA), which would mandate private

A FOIA Win: Interior’s final rule drops changes that would have stifled public requests

The Department of Interior published its final Freedom of Information Act regulations, with significant changes from proposed revisions first issued in December 2018. The changes address concerns of public interest groups that urged the agency to remove harmful secrecy provisions from its initial proposal. The final rule comes after Interior’s proposed rule changes drew widespread

Letter to Committee on Homeland Security Entered into Congressional Record at DHS FOIA Hearing

At the ‘Public’s Right to Know: FOIA at the Department of Homeland Security’ hearing held by the Oversight, Management, and Accountability Subcommittee of the Committee on Homeland Security, several Open the Government coalition partners wrote a letter with key recommendations for increased oversight of DHS’s FOIA compliance that was entered into congressional record. In 2018,

Statement on passing of Congressman Cummings

Open the Government issued the following statement on the passing of Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md), chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee: “Rep. Cummings was one of the greatest champions of accountability in government of our time. In him, openness and civil society advocates had an esteemed ally who relentlessly fought for a more

Impeachment Inquiry: A tough, but inevitable, pill for Trump given track record

More than a battle of the wills between the executive and legislative branches of our government, an impeachment inquiry is a process backed by the Constitution to hold the president accountable to the American people. Open the Government has long challenged Congress to fully exert its constitutional authority to address blatant misconduct by the president and

Open the Government is an inclusive, nonpartisan coalition that works to strengthen our democracy and empower the public by advancing policies that create a more open, accountable, and responsive government.