Do Secret Ballots Conflict with Open Records

Some argue that individual votes should be public for all to see. Others argue that making the votes public exposes the voters to intimidation or even physical harm. Related issues are whether legislators’ votes should be public combined with publicizing … Continued

WEB Censorship Worldwide

Two dozen countries block or limit Internet access. Middle East Muslim countries appear to be overrepresented. The Internet is one of the great productivity enhancers of the last 100 years, on a level with the light bulb and the automobile. … Continued

Holocaust Denier Gets 5 Years

A German court convicted holocaust denier and anti-semite, Ernst Zundel, of 14 counts of incitement of racial hatred and sentenced him to five years in prison. The First Amendment of The United States Constitution would have protected Mr. Zundel in … Continued

China Says “No” to Information Freedom

The Chinese government has enhanced their national firewall in order to “purify” the information that reaches its citizens. China and India are growing at the stupendous rate of 8% per year. India has thrown off its socialist past. Can China … Continued

Gun Owner Names Published

Virginia gun owners are upset that their names have been made public by a newspaper. They argue that publication of the names makes them targets for burglaries. A possible solution is publish names of those who have passed gun certification … Continued

Hospital Infection Rates to Become Public

Patient advocates are interested in slashing the more than 2 million cases of hospital-acquired infections in the U.S. yearly and the 100,000 deaths they cause. Making hospital infection rates public allows patients to chose safer hospitals. The loss of patients … Continued

Should Illegals’ Names Be Public?

Another illegal alien with multiple convictions kills more citizens. Should the names and photos of arrested illegal aliens be made public on the Internet? Should the dispositions of jailed illegals be made public? The question is similar to making the … Continued

Sex Offender License Plates Proposed

The Ohio legislature is close to passing a bill requiring convicted sex offenders to use flourescent green license plates. The Governor has indicated he would sign the bill. Opponents argue that offenders have paid their debt to society and should … Continued

Turks Ban YouTube

A Turkish court has ordered the popular video sharing site YouTube blocked. A video on the site makes fun of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Censorship is always subjective. The Open Records Project argues that a society … Continued

France Bans Citizen Journalists

On the anniversary of the Rodney King beating video, France has banned citizens or unregistered journalists from posting video on the Internet. The penalty for violating the statute is up to five years in prison and a $100,000 fine. Some … Continued