Empowerment Through Information

Senate Committee Holds Hearing on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

On Tuesday, March 29, 2022, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the government’s administration of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Titled “The Freedom of Information Act: Improving   Read Full

April 19, 2022

Congrats, President-Elect Biden! Now, Restore Accountability in the Federal Government

40 Advocacy Organizations & Experts Release Accountability 2021 Reform Agenda for Biden Administration — Open The Government today announced Accountability 2021, a robust agenda of actionable recommendations that president-elect Joe   Read Full

November 23, 2020

New Lawsuit Fights Back Against White House’s COVID-19 Communication Secrecy

Even as the deaths of Americans from COVID-19 climb past 175,000, the Trump administration continues to oppose scientific transparency. After five months of being stonewalled by the Center for Disease   Read Full

August 25, 2020

New ICE/Clearview AI Contract Underscores Secrecy Around Government Facial Recognition Contractors

Following news reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) signed a $224,000 contract with the secretive, controversial facial recognition company Clearview AI, Lisa Rosenberg, executive director of Open The Government released the following   Read Full

August 18, 2020

Diverse Coalition Urges HHS to Reverse COVID-19 Data Reporting Requirement

Open The Government led a coalition of 27 organizations in urging Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar to rescind a directive to hospitals, hospital laboratories, and acute care   Read Full

July 27, 2020

Finally: Amazon’s Rekognition Moratorium Long Overdue

Facial Recognition Technology Regulation: A Practical Guide for Congress

Note: On Amazon’s one-year moratorium on police use of Rekognition, Lisa Rosenberg, executive director of Open The Government, issued the following statement: Amazon’s decision to implement this one-year moratorium on police   Read Full

June 11, 2020

Long-Lasting Police Reform Must Embrace Transparency To Be Effective

George Floyd’s killing at the hands of Minneapolis police is the most recent in a spate of African-Americans dying in encounters with police officers around the country. As protests over   Read Full

June 3, 2020

OTG endorses stronger oversight, accountability, and transparency provisions in new CORE Act

Open The Government and several coalition partners endorsed the new Coronavirus Oversight and Recovery Ethics (CORE) Act, legislation introduced by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Chris Coons   Read Full

May 14, 2020

Protecting public access to information during the pandemic

Public access to information is vital during times of crisis, but government transparency is often sacrificed when it is needed most. The coronavirus pandemic is no different, and we are   Read Full

April 16, 2020

Organizations Call on Congress to Oppose DoD Proposal to Weaken Lobbying Restrictions

A cross-section of organizations urged Congress to oppose the Department of Defense’s proposal to weaken restrictions on lobbying activity by former senior officials in the National Defense Authorization Act for   Read Full

April 15, 2020