Comments on: Open City Challenges – The Counter Reaction http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/07/21/open-city-challenges-the-counter-reaction/ The source on how we live, work and play Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:10:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Open Cities – the Counter Reaction | eaves.ca http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/07/21/open-city-challenges-the-counter-reaction/comment-page-1/#comment-13566 Open Cities – the Counter Reaction | eaves.ca Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:08:15 +0000 http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/?p=12378#comment-13566 [...] This is a crosspost from my Open Cities Blog at CreativeClass.com Email & Share: [...] [...] This is a crosspost from my Open Cities Blog at CreativeClass.com Email & Share: [...]

]]> By: Kim Feraday http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/07/21/open-city-challenges-the-counter-reaction/comment-page-1/#comment-13537 Kim Feraday Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:14:56 +0000 http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/?p=12378#comment-13537 I don't think that the police reaction is one against technology -- they're simply trying to control information. And that's not new that's probably as old as government itself (and big corporations etc.). Those who control the information want to control access because it allows them to control the agenda much more easily. That's why we've needed access to information laws. Rather than focus on the technology maybe the lens should be turned back to laws that will provide an adequate framework for making information available no matter how it is made available (technology, paper etc.). Now to play devil's advocate for a second. If I were police I wouldn't want information made available through an application that supports people getting drunk and then shows them (potentially) how they can avoid areas that have the heaviest police presence (due to crime). It's far from a great use of public information. In fact it may be working against the public interest. Maybe advocates for information access should put forward better use cases than this if they want government support. I don’t think that the police reaction is one against technology — they’re simply trying to control information. And that’s not new that’s probably as old as government itself (and big corporations etc.). Those who control the information want to control access because it allows them to control the agenda much more easily. That’s why we’ve needed access to information laws. Rather than focus on the technology maybe the lens should be turned back to laws that will provide an adequate framework for making information available no matter how it is made available (technology, paper etc.).

Now to play devil’s advocate for a second. If I were police I wouldn’t want information made available through an application that supports people getting drunk and then shows them (potentially) how they can avoid areas that have the heaviest police presence (due to crime). It’s far from a great use of public information. In fact it may be working against the public interest. Maybe advocates for information access should put forward better use cases than this if they want government support.

]]> By: Michael Wells http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/07/21/open-city-challenges-the-counter-reaction/comment-page-1/#comment-13533 Michael Wells Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:54:18 +0000 http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/?p=12378#comment-13533 Openness in government is tough. There's not only the bureaucratic instinct for control Eaves writes about, but the constant harassment from watchdogs on the left and the right, the press and elected officials as well as the threat of lawsuits. The need to look over your shoulder is much worse than most private blogs have to contend with. That said, openness needs to be the wave of the future, if only because the information is going to get out anyway through the channels mentioned above. And in an increasingly interconnected world, the information will be needed by both government and citizens for them to operate effectively. Getting from Government 1.0 to 2.0 is going to be much more complicated than simply opening records. Openness in government is tough. There’s not only the bureaucratic instinct for control Eaves writes about, but the constant harassment from watchdogs on the left and the right, the press and elected officials as well as the threat of lawsuits. The need to look over your shoulder is much worse than most private blogs have to contend with.

That said, openness needs to be the wave of the future, if only because the information is going to get out anyway through the channels mentioned above. And in an increasingly interconnected world, the information will be needed by both government and citizens for them to operate effectively.

Getting from Government 1.0 to 2.0 is going to be much more complicated than simply opening records.

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