FOIA Beyond Our Borders

 

The states with the most media coverage of their FOIA activity in recent months are Illinois, South Carolina, Virginia and Connecticut.

ILLINOIS:  Most of the news about FOIA results from municipal denials of FOIA requests which citizens appeal to a special section of the state’s Office of Attorney General.  When the Assistant AG in this section rules in favor of the appellant, the AAG usually fires a shot across the municipality’s bow.  If the warning isn’t heeded, the AAG can compel compliance.  The Illinois statute has real teeth.

SOUTH CAROLINA:  The legislature floats a lot of trial balloons about tinkering with FOIA.  Notable among them are proposals for legislative transparency.

VIRGINIA:  Much of the activity here concerns partisan political bickering over FOIA adjustments, reflecting transition turmoil prominent in the state over the past couple of years.  There was an uproar when the legislature banned out-of-state FOIA requests.

CONNECTICUT:  The  increased volume of FOIA news in this state can be attributed to privacy issues arising from the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.

On the international scene, Ireland, India and Nigeria have had frequent news coverage of FOIA events.

Bermuda and the Philippines are struggling with initial FOIA legislation.  (Better late than never.)

CELEBRATE SUNSHINE WEEK !

Crowd Fact-Checking, a Lesson from India

Rural and seasonal workers across India are guaranteed (as needed) 100 days a year of manual labor at minimum wage.

Years ago, some local officials claimed they were assigning work and paying workers, all the while embezzling funds and keeping the records secret.  Workers complained they were getting neither work nor pay.  They brought pressure under India’s Right to Information Law and eventually were allowed to view (but not have copies of) work and pay records.  

Some workers were able to copy the records surreptitiously. The records, purporting to show that specific individuals had worked and been paid, were revealed at public meetings and shown to be false.

Today, such government ledgers are painted on village walls where workers can determine for themselves the accuracy of the records.  Officials are fined if records are not made public on time.

In one Indian state where state officials support them, activists get local records and go through their village door to door to verify payments made, services rendered and the like.

Such social audits have uncovered instances where as much as 95 percent of funding had been embezzled from government programs.

Why couldn't a variation of this concept be applied just as successfully in more advanced countries, using the Internet?

 http://www.onthemedia.org/story/indias-right-information-law/transcript/