Our Focus Issues Archives - Open The Government

New Bipartisan FOIA Bill Punches Back at Attacks

Bill will protect public access to information from private entities that do business with the government following Supreme Court decision. The new Open and Responsive Government Act of 2019, introduced Read Full

July 23, 2019

Facial Recognition Technology Regulation: A Practical Guide for Congress

The dearth of accountability safeguards as government agencies acquire facial recognition technologies prompted Open The Government and a growing list of civil society groups to urge Congress to swiftly regulate Read Full

July 19, 2019

Enough with Congressional Hearings on Facial Recognition: Pointers to Regulate the Technology

Recent news headlines about federal agencies using facial recognition technology to scour state databases around the country for Americans’ driving licenses without their knowledge or permission is rightfully drawing the Read Full

July 16, 2019

Supreme Court’s Decision in First FOIA Case Fails to Defend the Public’s Right to Know

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 today in favor of denying the public’s access to government spending information in the Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media case that brought to fore the Read Full

June 24, 2019

Defense Department’s Gag Rule Memo Spurs Letter Urging Office of the Special Counsel to Investigate

Open The Government and the Government Accountability Project sent a letter to the Office of the Special Counsel today urging the agency to investigate the Department of Defense’s new policy Read Full

May 22, 2019

FOIA Request by OTG & ACLU Uncovers Significant Racial Disparities in DC’s Police Arrests

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Open The Government and ACLU-DC, the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) recently provided extensive arrest data for Read Full

May 14, 2019

More Than a Dozen Organizations Urge Defense Department to Reverse Decision to Limit Afghanistan War Reports

A cross-section of organizations signed a letter late last week to acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan calling for a reversal of the military’s decision to stop collecting and releasing important Read Full

May 13, 2019

Asserting Executive Privilege Over Mueller Report Strong-Arms Congress & Fuels Controversy

Statement of Lisa Rosenberg, Executive Director, Open The Government The House Committee on the Judiciary’s requests for the full Mueller report to be released to Congress are based on transparency Read Full

May 8, 2019

Access to government spending data in limbo as SCOTUS considers FOIA case

On April 22, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media, a case that is likely to reveal the Court’s first interpretation of a Read Full

May 6, 2019

Kevin McAleenan Requests Additional Border Funds as Coalition of Over 100 Organizations Condemn DHS Surveillance of Activists, Journalists, and Lawyers

Before his testimony to Congress today asking for more border funds, Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan was the recipient of a coalition letter from over 100 organizations Read Full

May 2, 2019