Aiddata .org provides over 1 million data points of information on aid flows from a large range of donors, creating an unprecedented level of transparency about international aid. The information covers most official aid bodies (e.g. DFID, USAID, et al) and the latest version (3.0) also includes data on private charity organizations in the US and flow of remittances. The data can be downloaded in full or visualized online. There is also a robust API system to build apps on top of the rich database. Based on a quick review of the datasets, I feel that it would be a […]
Tech 4 Accountability
Witness is an organization dedicated to promoting the effective use of videos for human rights. The organization trains people to use videos, protect the content and the people in it – and also build effective campaigns to prevent human rights abuses. Witness was created after a video surfaced on the police brutality against Rodney King that made the founders recognize the power of videos in such situations. Apart from trainings, they also create apps and engage in policy advocacy with large internet companies to create a safe space for human rights activists working in dangerous conditions. Their blog is also an interesting space for articles on the […]
GovAlerts is a service that allows you to get an email if your local body is scheduled to discuss an issue of your interest based on keywords you specify. This can help you participate in discussions on issues that matter to you. As of Aug 2014, they were covering only a small number of Municipal bodies, but I can see the service expanding rapidly with time. Interestingly, the service allows people to create three keywords for free and charges a very modest fee of 99 cents per month for additional keywords for power users. Financing such initiatives is a major concern for most innovators in the […]
The book discusses different ways in which access to information laws are being undermined around the world.
Blacked out: Government secrecy in the Information Age
Internet can add power to the right to information. How well this happens depends on how government websites are designed. Digital technologies can add power to the right to information movement by making information easily, quickly and cheaply accessible. But for online data to be effective, government websites have to be suitably designed. The 8 principles A good starting point for the design principles is a set of eight far-reaching principles developed by Sunlight Foundation. These are: Complete: All public data are made available. Public data are data that are not subject to valid privacy, security or privilege limitations. Primary: Data […]
8 principles of open government data & beyond
National Democratic Institute | NDI: NDI is a “nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government”. NDI has several leading projects in the intersection of technology and democracy.
Rating of RTI laws around the world: This page contains information about a ranking of countries based on the strength of the right to information Law. Serbia has the highest ranking followed closely by India. Sweden, the first country to legislate the right to information, falls very low in the list.
Access Denied: The Practice and Policy of Global Internet Filtering by OpenNet Initiative: “Many countries around the world block or filter Internet content, denying access to information–often about politics, but also relating to sexuality, culture, or religion – that they deem too sensitive for ordinary citizens. Access Denied documents and analyzes Internet filtering practices in over three dozen countries, offering the first rigorously conducted study of this accelerating trend”.
Berkman Center for Internet and Society: A leading academic centre on the internet and society whose mission “is to explore and understand cyberspace; to study its development, dynamics, norms, and standards; and to assess the need or lack thereof for laws and sanctions”. It is a great source of information on debates around the cyberspace and the quest to shape it.