With Perfect Timing, UK Audit Office Review Warns Open Government Enthusiasts
Andrea Di Maio writes:
Right in the middle of the Open Government Partnership conference, which I mentioned in my post yesterday, the UK National Audit Office (NAO) published its cross-government review on Implementing Transparency.
The report, while recognizing the importance and the potential for open data initiatives, highlights a few areas of concern that should be taken quite seriously by the OGP conference attendees, most of which are making open data more a self-fulfilling prophecy than an actual tool for government transparency and transformation.
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The areas of concern highlighted in the review are an insufficient attention to assess costs, risks and benefits of transparency, the variation in completeness of information and the mixed progress. While the two latter can improve with greater maturity, it is the first time that requires the most attention.
Better late than never.
I have yet to hear a discouraging word in the U.S. about the rush to openness by the Obama administration.
Not that I object to “openness,” but I would like to see meaningful “openness.”
Take campaign finance for example. Treating all contributions over fifty dollars ($50) the same is hiding influence buying in the chaff of reporting.
What matters is any contribution of over say $100,000 to a candidate. That would make the real supporters (purchasers really) of a particular office stand out.
The Obama Whitehouse uses hiding in the chaff to say they are disclosing White House visitors. Who are mixed into the weekly visitor log for the White House. Girl and Boy Scout troop visits don’t count the same as personal audiences with the President.
Government contract data should be limited to contracts over 500,000 and include individual owner and corporate names plus the names of their usual government contract officers. Might need to bump the $500,000 up but could try it for a year.
If we bring up the house lights we have to search everyone. Why not a flashlight on the masher in the back row?