[net-gold] Secrecy News -- 01/11/10

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Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:10:39 -0500 (EST)

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Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:22:44 -0500
From: Steven Aftergood <saftergood@xxxxxxx>
To: saftergood@xxxxxxx
Subject: Secrecy News -- 01/11/10 (alt list)

SECRECY NEWS

from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy

Volume 2010, Issue No. 3
January 11, 2010

Secrecy News Blog:  http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/

**      NRC SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON OPEN GOVERNMENT
**      ACLU SUES CRS FOR VIOLATING FREEDOM OF SPEECH
**      BOOK: THE WORLD BANK UNVEILED

NRC SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON OPEN GOVERNMENT

In a remarkable sign of how the ground is shifting in government information
policy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has invited the public to suggest
categories of NRC information that should be published on its web site, and
to recommend other measures the Commission might take to improve
transparency, public participation and collaboration.

A December 8, 2009 Open Government Directive issued by the Obama
Administration ordered federal agencies to "identify and publish online in
an open format at least three high-value data sets" within 45 days (i.e. by
January 22), and to take other steps "toward the goal of creating a more
open government."

In a Federal Register notice published today, the NRC asked for public
assistance to meet the requirements of the Open Government Directive.

"To aid the NRC's efforts to determine what data sets might be appropriate
to publish and what transparency, public participation, and collaboration
improvements it might include in its Open Government Plan, the NRC is
soliciting public comments. Comments regarding publication of data sets are
requested as soon as possible in light of the January 22, 2010, target date
for publication of data sets," the NRC notice said.

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2010/01/nrc011110.html

In fact, anyone can propose high value data sets belonging to any agency for
publication online, through a public comment page on the Obama
Administration's data.gov web site.

        http://www.data.gov/suggestdataset

We have suggested publication of the CIA's CREST database of declassified
historical records, and of a broad selection of Open Source Center products
that are not classified or copyrighted.  Matt Schroeder of the FAS Arms
Sales Project recommended improved, online publication of government data on
U.S. arms exports (FAS Strategic Security blog, January 8, 2010).

ACLU FILES SUIT ON BEHALF OF FIRED CRS OFFICIAL

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Friday on behalf of Col.
Morris D. Davis, a former chief prosecutor at Guantanamo, alleging that he
was unlawfully fired from the Congressional Research Service because he made
statements as a private individual that were critical of Obama
Administration policy on military commissions.  ("CRS Fires A Division
Chief," Secrecy News, December 4, 2009.)

"Col. Davis has a constitutional right to speak about issues of which he has
expert knowledge, and the public has a right to hear from him," said ACLU
attorney Aden Fine.

        http://www.aclu.org/free-speech/davis-v-billington

The lawsuit names as defendants James H. Billington, the Librarian of
Congress, as well as CRS Director Daniel P. Mulhollan, who is sued in his
personal capacity.

At the root of the matter, ACLU argues, are ambiguous Library regulations
and a problematic 2004 CRS policy on "outside activities" by CRS employees.

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mul012304.pdf

"Neither the Library's regulations nor CRS's policy establishes a standard
for determining which outside speaking and writing is permissible and which
is not. The regulations and policy afford the Library and CRS unfettered
discretion to determine which speech to punish," according to the ACLU
lawsuit.

"We maintain that the removal of Mr. Davis is justified," wrote Library of
Congress General Counsel Elizabeth Pugh on December 14, 2009.

    http://www.aclu.org/files/assets/2009-12-14-LtrtoAdenFine.pdf

The case was assigned to Judge Reggie Walton of the DC District Court.

BOOK: THE WORLD BANK UNVEILED

"The World Bank Unveiled" tells the story of an attempt by World Bank
researcher David Shaman and some of his colleagues to introduce greater
transparency into the deliberations of the World Bank.

In 1999, at a time when the Bank was subject to intense controversy and
public demonstrations, Shaman co-created the internet-based B-SPAN, which
offered unedited videos of internal Bank discussions and debates.  "We began
B-SPAN as a way to increase the Bank's transparency.  We believed by doing
so we would increase people's understanding of what the Bank did, increase
opportunities for the Bank to be more accountable to its critics, and
thereby mute tensions on all sides."

The 688-page book details the development of this transparency initiative
from the author's perspective, and describes its early success as well as
the opposition that it quickly engendered.

"I decided to write The World Bank Unveiled because I believe it will
provide an opportunity for those who want a more open and accountable
institution to overcome an internal culture wedded to secrecy and a
bureaucracy married to the status quo," said Mr. Shaman. "If this should
occur, the ultimate winners will be those millions who currently live in
poverty because they will then have a more effective advocate on their
behalf."

See "The World Bank Unveiled: Inside the Revolutionary Struggle for
Transparency" by David Ian Shaman, Parkhurst Brothers Inc. Publishers, 2009:

        http://www.pbros.net/worldbank.htm

_______________________________________________

Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation
of American Scientists.

The Secrecy News Blog is at:
     http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/

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_______________________

Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web:    www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email:  saftergood@xxxxxxx
voice:  (202) 454-4691

[net-gold] Secrecy News -- 01/11/10

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