The Electronic Frontier Foundation unveiled a new project this week that represents a big step in the right direction for free and open access to public data.
The organization’s Transparency Project will include a searchable database of documents it has acquired through Freedom of Information Act requests, and easy-to-follow guides enabling users to easily file their own.
From an EFF statement outlining their objectives:
While emerging technologies give the government new tools that threaten citizen civil liberties, technology also has the potential to create a more democratic relationship between public institutions and the citizens they serve. Today, a broad range of new tools are allowing the public to more closely examine government and corporate entities and to hold them accountable for deception, censorship, and corruption. In addition to using freedom of information laws to shed light on government actions, EFF also wants to highlight technologies that help the transparency process —whether it’s making it easier to file and track FOIA requests, websites dedicated to whistleblowing, or open government initiatives that can improve access to information.
Check out the project at the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s website.