President Signs Government-wide Open Data Bill

www.datacoalition.org...

Full Text of Bill

Bill: Section by Section(pdf)

Washington, D.C. – Today, President Trump signed into law the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking (FEBP) Act (H.R. 4174, S. 2046), which includes the Open, Public, Electronic and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act(Title II). The package passed Congresson Monday, December 31, 2018.

The OPEN Government Data Actrequires all non-sensitive government data to be made available in open and machine-readable formats by default. It establishes Chief Data Officers (CDO) at federal agencies, as well as a CDO Council. The law’s mission is to improve operational efficiencies and government services, reduce costs, increase public access to government information, and spur innovation and entrepreneurship. This is a win for evidence-based decision-making within the government.

The federal government possesses an enormous amount of valuable public data, which should be used to improve government services and promote private sector innovation. The OPEN Government Data Act seeks to:

-Define open data, machine-reliability, and open license in government

-Create standards for making federal government data available to the public

-Require the federal government to use open data to improve decision making

-Ensure accountability by requiring regular oversight by GAO

-Codify CDOs at all federal agencies and a establishes a CDO Council

Don't have much to add but this is a great thing. I firmly believe governments should be fully transparent and this is a great step in the right direction. Everything the government does is funded by tax payers. Any and all information about it's workings should be open to scrutiny from said tax payers. I fully support any initiatives that lead towards more open access to this information.

This has to be bad somehow.

Orange man = bad

This goes hand in hand with the limits set by Presidential Order restricting what can and can't be classified.

This will truly open up the Government but watch what happens next as Government Agencies try to block the efforts at transparency in Government. No agency will be behind this.

P

a reply to: dug88

My initial reaction was WOW!!!!

Transparency! Hope I’m right.

originally posted by: NthOther
This has to be bad somehow.

Orange man = bad

Normally I'm not pro-Trump but this sounds like a good idea for a more open government.

There is still some fuzziness as to what is "sensitive data" and what is "government data", though.

a reply to: chr0naut

This is my immediate concern as well. I expect agencies would tangle something sensitive or classified into every document in an attempt to get around the law.

We have all seen how various Government agencies resist the Presidents efforts to create more transparency and remove corruption. The last thing these Government agencies want is more eyes on their shenanigans.

a reply to: drewlander
to the government everything is sensitive information. Especially when relating to the rampant insider trading that goes on in such privileged positions. Opps, did I let that spill?
The STOCK Act (Stop Trading On Congressional Knowledge Act) was nearly completely gutted a year after it was passed with much less fanfare than it was originally signed under ( www.npr.org... ).

So even if this does go through, expect it to be gutted within a year.

originally posted by: drewlander
a reply to: chr0naut

This is my immediate concern as well. I expect agencies would tangle something sensitive or classified into every document in an attempt to get around the law.

They already do.

Commander went to the latrine at 14:00.. Confidential or maybe even secret !
I would like some entity overseeing the whole classification process.. There are so many trash security stamps floating around that have no business being classified to begin with it would make most people scratch their heads in wonderment if they knew..

a reply to: pheonix358

I think it's no different than hard copies being open to the public, but then 89% of it is blacked out.

a reply to: dug88

The federal government possesses an enormous amount of valuable public data

Its the government, they can still censor the info and no one would know the difference.

originally posted by: NthOther
This has to be bad somehow.

Orange man = bad

If Obama had done this, which I hoped he would have, the Right would have been screaming about how he was a traitor to state secrets.

As it is, it's a step in the right direction for the Trump administration. Let's see what they consider "sensitive" and what will actually be released.

Agencies in general have no desire to fck with classification. Most data and information are available for a fee or with a FOIA. Problem with public access is that no central clearinghouse exists online and regulations (FOIA) is a time consuming process for agencies & public alike. Basically, there are public govt databases all over the place, if you due diligence to root them out. No Agency has or wants funding to index and publish, or have query access to agency databases in "real time". Judicial Watch handles the tough FOIA stuff resulting in lawsuits which are beyond the means of the public in general. But a simple FOIA request usually results in an answer sorts without much trouble (okay, that's a relative assessment).

The Problem for agencies is that regulations (FOIA) force a request-response scenario, so new regulations should improve the process immensely. MOST agency resistance is going to be the budget$$$ they're going to want to request for implementation. This is bureaucracy at the highest levels, the game is about span of control and dollars wielded. A CentComm approach to information availability is foreign to their mindset since it can't further personal agendas at these mostly SES-level administraitors (sic).

This would seem particularly well suited to a cloud based approach. CentComm manages the cloud, agencies get their control issues semi-satisfied, and public gets access at will instead of agency delay (for the most part).
I'm not seeing any down side for those agencies who routinely deal with classified data (non-MIL) since C_A already uses cloud based systems.

ganjoa

originally posted by: NthOther
This has to be bad somehow.

Orange man = bad

of course it's bad. the democrats can't have their fake transparency like with Obama if this type of thing is in place. but i have to agree with other posters that the truth is so much is actually classified for no real reason as it stands, and likely will just become more so.

originally posted by: kelbtalfenek

originally posted by: NthOther
This has to be bad somehow.

Orange man = bad

If Obama had done this, which I hoped he would have, the Right would have been screaming about how he was a traitor to state secrets.

As it is, it's a step in the right direction for the Trump administration. Let's see what they consider "sensitive" and what will actually be released.

actually Obama promised transparency and people did not say that at all. in fact most just said something to the effect of "bull*&^%".. and they were right Obama's government was one of the most untransparent governments. but then what else can you expect of a Chicago politician but constant lies, mistruths and the like?