UK Discovers Open Records

The “London Times” lists many government secrets revealed by The Freedom of Information Act. However no specifics are given. For example, how many British subjects would like to know which foreign diplomats have been accused of rape, child abuse, or … Continued

Australian Rape Statistics Secret

Reported rapes have increased in Australia according to a secret government report. Several questions for Australian taxpayers include, “Who benefits from the secrecy? Are more rapists likely to be caught due to secrecy? Are citizens more likely to be watchful … Continued

UK Police Respect Burglars’ Privacy

Police have warned householders to watch out for three convicted burglars, but cannot issue descriptions of the men for fear of breaching their human rights. In Britain private handgun ownership is banned. Knives suitable for defense are banned. A robber … Continued

Infectious TB Carrier May Be Jailed

A super-TB carrier may be jailed in a hospital ward until he dies. Does society have the right to protect itself from health risks? What are the implications for those infected with HIV/AIDS? At what point does an individual’s right … Continued

Hillary’s Senior Thesis

The most important element of the “Hillary’s Thesis” story is not that the 21 year old future first lady wrote a paper about an infamous socialist, but that the Office of the President suppressed it’s publication. President George Bush’s DWI … Continued

Publicizing Homeland Security Expenditures

This story affects both the effectiveness of anti-terrorism efforts and government financial impropriety. The Open Records Project has always argued that financial transparency of organizations tends to encourage effectiveness and discourage corruption. We published every check written by the Dallas … Continued

AIDS/HIV Infected, License to Kill

This sort of story keeps coming back. How much privacy does an infected individual have versus the right of uninfected individuals not to die? One side argued that infected individuals have a right not to be embarrassed are socially censured. … Continued

Sex Offenders Falling Through the Cracks

When we first posted the Sex Offender Registry, thousands of people emailed us to say the addresses of offenders were incorrect. This problem still may not be corrected. A possible solution is having individual citizens observe the posted addresses to … Continued

Online Videos May Reduce Crime

According to this story, some police departments are posting crime scene videos online in the hope that citizens may identify the perpetrators. It would seem that private individuals could make similar postings. This is also similar to the attempt to … Continued

Secret Ballots and Open Records

The House of Representatives is about to pass a bill that authorizes public balloting for union elections. On its face, the bill appears to favor openness. Opponents cite secret ballots as one of the elements of a free democratic society … Continued