41–50 of 161 posts
Open data is the first step. I wish I could do more business with my gov't (State and Local) through the internet. "Copies of documents cannot be ordered through this website, by email or over the telephone." Only fax and snail mail... https://www.dos.ny.gov/corps/faq_copies.page.asp
Open data will bring innovation and accountability.
Great move
Making public data open by default can arguable be an imporant step towards fostering societal equity. However, it needs to be not only "open", which typically means stashed away in some corner as a spreadsheet or database file, but accessible and useful to people. The UK has been pushing open data for years now and more and more institutions are now realizing this. Shameless plug for a research project that is aimin…
As long as those spreadsheets/database files are accessible to someone with technical skill, people can pull in the data and use tools to make it more accessible and useful. Ideally, yes, the data is useful to begin with, but as long as it's available, there's nothing stopping individuals with the skills from making it useful. Of course, there are exceptions: the PDFs that are often provided by the prosecution as par…
In regards to modern day transparency requirements, it seems like laws should include a reasonableness clause.
Making records available to the public but requiring them to be hand photocopied vs. making them available in electronic form in a custom format.
Both open. But two very different magnitudes of effort.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not convinced there are really any important national security secrets other than passcodes and so on. The rest seems to be excuses for hiding corruption of various kinds. Secrecy in government is incompatible with democracy by definition.
You have to think about how people respond to things. Social media in its current state has basically turned into a system that takes an event, removes all context, spins it in the most negative way imaginable, and then dogpiles on it to no end -- virtue signaling for imaginary points. There are often lots of things in government, and in life in general, where you must choose between two very negative choices. And th…
I’m sorry but speak for yourself, not me. This is a democracy. Don’t tell me I can’t know about things because I want to score imaginary internet points.
Democracy and secrecy are incompatible. No man is above the law, and laws are not secret.
“The masses can’t be trusted” is nothing but the talk of a despot.
I'm glad they were able to do it before the new Congress came on board.
The bill had large majority bipartisan support (which makes me suspect it's toothless...)
With all the problems its government has, united states is still at it fostering innovation. Open data will bring innovation and accountability. Great move
the cynic in me just figures that this moves the goal post such that special interest groups will adapt to produce the right evidence for the desired outcomes
Making public data open by default can arguable be an imporant step towards fostering societal equity. However, it needs to be not only "open", which typically means stashed away in some corner as a spreadsheet or database file, but accessible and useful to people. The UK has been pushing open data for years now and more and more institutions are now realizing this. Shameless plug for a research project that is aimin…
As long as those spreadsheets/database files are accessible to someone with technical skill, people can pull in the data and use tools to make it more accessible and useful. Ideally, yes, the data is useful to begin with, but as long as it's available, there's nothing stopping individuals with the skills from making it useful. Of course, there are exceptions: the PDFs that are often provided by the prosecution as par…
I wonder if this open data can be (will be?) used by a foreign entity and be turned against the american people? It should be open but not free-for-all
An earlier commentator linked to the UK's effort: https://data-in.place/ . Can you give an example of the misuse? Even if there was, surely the benefits outweigh? Transparency is often underrated. Another angle: Maria Butina's husband is a Republican from South Dakota.