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FOI

and

Open Data

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ABOUT

ME

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http://foi.directory

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70 INTERVIEWS

Exemption by exemption guide

Case studies

Info pros | Journalists

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Open data

FOI

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They work better together…

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FOI:

Allows authorities to know what people are interested in.
Has appeal mechanisms

Open data:

Gives the potential to cut the number of FOI requests.
Encourages proactive publication of more information
Reuse allowed

@mattburgess1

different checks and balances for FOI and open data

FOI allows the public to ask for what they want - it provides information that that person is interested in. It can allow for embarrasement, for informaton to be published that officials might not be comfortable with. For example, emails aren’t going to be released without FOI, we won’t find out things like after the 2011 riots that judges were told to ignore sentencing guidelines.

Whereas open data atively encourages innovation, it wants people to do things with the information

Open data allows information to be published in a reuseable form - whereas with FOI there was a long court battle to have the right to receive information asked for as a reuseable spreadsheet - not uncommon to get a table printed, scanned and then resent to the user. Know of at least two occasions where the Met are upholding copyright claims over hsitoric video footage, to stop it from being reused. Not in the spirit, as anyone can access this information

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@mattburgess1

Examples, without FOI food hygeiene statistics wouldn’t be reported. An early FOI battle has led to this information being published, now it is routeinly done and we would think that it is crazy that it wasn’t originally published. Now can be accessed online, it updates every couple of days, there’s an API which is accessible.

Top right, protection of freedoms act 2012, ammended the FOI Act to say that when a dataset is requested (and it is appropriate to do so) then then it should be published as part of the the authorities publication scheme, and when it can the authority should update the dataset when a new version becomes available.

Transport for London, looked at their FOI requests to identify types of open data that could be published each quarter, deposits on oyster cards, incomplete journeys, outstanding payments from embassies. These were all things that would be frequently requested by the rpess and then reported on, by publishing it proactively it takes away the sting from the story

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READ THE REPLIES

...the Dark Lord [Open Data] will mark him [FOI] as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

J.K Rowling

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“The fact that the Freedom of Information Act is yet to go through Parliament is a major bottleneck because there is lack of a legal backing to force institutions to release data.

Dr. Fred Matiang’I,

Information and Communications cabinet secretary

Kenya, 2013

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The next 10 years...

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Open Information

“Open by design”

@mattburgess1

I’d like to see open information

So, the publishing of more information, not just data, to the public

For example reports that are produced and requested by foi should be published without the need for them to be asked for

to go back to the food hygiene example, the data is published but the reporst are not. If you want to find a detailed report, photos, what the inspector actually saw, then you have to FOI the reports,

Is there the possibility to produce public interest decisions on the publication of materials and reports?

It will be uncomfortable, messy, and not easy, but it is how you grow trust in government

they way that I see it is if you’ve done something bad then why not publish online, on your own website, under your own control, rather than waiting to see if a pesky journalist finds it out or requests it under foi

proactive publication , even of something embarrasing, is better than it being leaked

by publishing information yourself you retain the control of it

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“The most transparent [government] ever”

David Cameron, 2010

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"That's freedom of information. But this endless discovery process that furs up the whole of government - don't worry, we are not making any plans to change it.

David Cameron,

2012

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"You idiot. You naive, foolish, irresponsible nincompoop"

Tony Blair

(At all times)

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"I'd like to make FOI redundant"

Francis Maude,

2012

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READ THE REPLIES

...either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

J.K Rowling

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