Right to Information

Around the World

India
Did You Know Someone Asked India's Nuke Code as an RTI Reply, Here's What Some Others Did
India Times
Indians file nearly 60 lakh RTIs a year and this number is highest of such information request in the world with most requests are filled in Delhi…

Pakistan
KP RTI Law Promoting Transparency
The News
PIO was the lynchpin in the implementation of the RTI law, therefore it was essential for PIO to be fully….

India
Plea to stop hounding of RTI activists
The Hindu
The forum opposed the probes launched against RTI activist and government officer Kashinath Shetye for filing…

Thailand
Thai reporter probing corruption faces trespass charge
National Post
Thailand’s main professional association of journalists on Friday protested the arrest on a trespassing charge of a reporter who was looking into the assets…

UK
UK Data Protection Laws to be Overhauled
BBC
"The new Data Protection Bill will give us one of the most robust, yet dynamic, set of data laws in the world," said Mr Hancock in a statement…..

U.S
Officials' use of private email creating 'shadow government' in South Carolina
The Post and Courrier
This is a problem in South Carolina that needs to be fixed by our Legislature … or through people suing public bodies to make sure they turn these over,” said Smith, who also works with the Press Association….

Pakistan
Ishaq Dar launches Tax Directory of 1.21 million taxpayers
The DND
The 17,000 page document was formally launched by Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar during a function at FBR house in Islamabad…

India
Why the Government Is Still Stuck in Its Culture of Secrecy
The Wire
Despite legislations and promises to the contrary, the government is not doing everything it can to be more open and accessible…

U.S
Accomack ruling: Judges exempt from Freedom of Information Act
Delmarva Now
Virginia law says access must be provided “to public records in the custody of a public body or its officers and employees….

India
RTI is my new amulet: Ghulam Mohiudin Sheikh, faith healer cum RTI activist
The Indian Express
"This area has witnessed more development since people started filing RTI applications..

U.S
How much is too much to charge for public records requests?
Chicago Tribune
The proposed ordinance would have brought the city in line with the maximum fees allowed under the state's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), City Attorney Bob Long said during a Monday committee meeting….

India
Did Modi Mislead Parliament on the Number of Fake Ration Cards that Aadhaar Had Exposed?
The Wire
Nikhil Dey of MKSS said that in Rajasthan 10 lakh people had been removed from the pension list through Aadhaar linkage. “While 50 lakh people were getting pension earlier, it has come down to 40 lakh now. As a consequence, many elderly have died or are living in abject poverty…

Ghana
Fighting Corruption: eliminate the empty promises and let act now
News Ghana
One of the potent solutions to the numerous scandals of corrupt practices in our country rests in the hands of our leaders. Especially, the Executive and the Legislature to give us a good right to information law….

Gambia
Secrecy in gov’t leads to poor governance: Info Minister
The Point
We must realise that government and public sector bodies have to be seen to be open and transparent by nurturing access to information in order to improve public confidence and trust..

U.S
CIA's 60 year war with the Government Accountability Office: the '80s Part 1
Muckrock
The Agency was happy to accept the DIA’s request to coordinate lists of the types of intelligence records which the President should then certify as exempt…

Pakistan
Senators call for across the board accountability of corrupt
Business Recorder
The Senate debated a motion under Rule 218 jointly moved by lawmakers of various parties regarding measures to combat corruption with focus on off-shore companies, across the board accountability and a new accountability mechanism…

India
Government Asked To Clarify Whether Taj Mahal Is Mausoleum Or Temple
NDTV
The question, forwarded as an alternative narrative of history by some claiming to be historians and the subject of various court cases, reached the CIC through a Right to Information…

Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's New Right-to-Information Law Could Save Lives
Open Society Foundation
Introduction of a simple procedural law in August last year is changing the face of Sri Lankan democracy. The Right to Information (RTI) Act has enabled journalists and citizens to access official correspondence and records that would once have been kept shrouded in secrecy…

U.S
How Wheeling says a resident cost taxpayers $144,000
The Dailyherald
Did Wheeling really spend more than $144,000 to supply a resident with documents she'd requested under the Freedom of Information Act? Or is the village using big cost estimates to deter her requests?...

Nigeria
How public institutions deny Nigerians right to information
Daily Trust
The legal right to information helps the public hold authorities accountable for their actions and allows public debate to be better informed and more productive. It infuses an inclusive governance and democratic culture…

Scotland
Figures reveal Scottish Government more likely to reject journalists' FoI requests
Press Gazette
Freedom of Information (FoI) requests from journalists to the Scottish Government is being refused….