Access to Information

Open, safe, and equitable access to information, its circulation and integrity, both online and offline

2300 articles
Link to: In Canada, nothing good comes from secrecy

In Canada, nothing good comes from secrecy

Citizens in a contemporary democracy that is fair, transparent and independent should not have to beg government or institutions to access information. It should not take 16 years and a fight at the Supreme Court of Canada to access our information.

People are silhouetted as they pose with laptops in front of a screen projected with binary code and a CIA emblem, in Zenica, Bosnia, 29 October 2014, REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Detekt: New malware detection tool can expose illegitimate state surveillance

Detekt is an easy-to-use, open source tool that allows users to check their Windows PCs for signs of infection by surveillance malware that we know is being used by government to spy on activists and journalists.

Link to: Canadian civil society groups launch Censorship Tracker mapping tool

Canadian civil society groups launch Censorship Tracker mapping tool

Censorship Tracker aims to be an accessible and reliable resource that Canadians can use to gauge restrictions on free speech in Canada.

Link to: Understanding Principle 10: Protecting the environment via access to information

Understanding Principle 10: Protecting the environment via access to information

Based on the idea that information should be at the heart of environmental protection policy, governments and civil society organizations from Latin America and the Caribbean – including ARTICLE 19 – have held intense discussions to reach an agreement that might serve as a reference for public policy around issues of access to information and the environment.

Zack Embree

The chill in Canada’s climate science

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression hosted an interactive online chat about the challenges of talking about climate science in Canada.

Protesters gather in Tokyo in November 2013 to voice concern over the Protection of Specially Designated Secrets Act, which is due to come into force in December, Reuters/Toru Hanai

Japan’s state secrets law, a minefield for journalists

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet publicly announced guidelines on how Japan’s security law, which was passed in December 2013, is to be implemented.

Link to: Hungary’s Prime Minister should abandon “anti-democratic plan” to tax internet use

Hungary’s Prime Minister should abandon “anti-democratic plan” to tax internet use

According to the latest version of the draft, internet service providers would be required to pay fees to the government per individual and business subscriber. There are concerns that the tax’s real purpose is to prevent access to information.

Link to: NGO coalition calls attention to Spain’s free expression violations

NGO coalition calls attention to Spain’s free expression violations

A joint submission to the UN during Spain’s country review emphasises concerns in three areas: defamation, regulation of the audiovisual sector and access to information.

A voter casts her ballot at a polling station in Gaberone,  Botswana, 24 October 2014, AP Photo

Botswana: Access to information, balanced coverage essential for fair, credible elections

The Media Institute of Southern Africa recently observed the conduct of the media and electoral bodies during Botswana’s 2014 parliamentary and local government elections, held on 24 October 2014. The mission found that the media performed well, though there could be improvements.

Members of a UNICEF-supported social mobilization team carry posters with information on Ebola, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, REUTERS/Issa Davies/UNICEF/Handout via Reuters

Special report: Restrictions on press freedom impede access to information on Ebola

The report highlights incidents of Ebola-related freedom of expression violations, the challenges with respect to media freedom and professional reportage, and the positive and negative contributions of the media to prevent and contain the Ebola outbreak.

Link to: Hong Kong: Occupy Central and the fight for information freedom

Hong Kong: Occupy Central and the fight for information freedom

As large-scale demonstrations grip Hong Kong, Reporters Without Borders summarizes the state of information freedom in the city.

Blood samples from patients suspected of having the Ebola virus disease are prepared for transportation to Freetown for testing, at Port Loko, Sierra Leone, 27 September 2014, REUTERS/Christopher Black/WHO/Handout via Reuters

Journalists prevented from covering Ebola crisis in West Africa

The panic in Western African countries hit by the Ebola epidemic is taking its toll on local news media. Some countries are “quarantining” their journalists to prevent them covering this unprecedented public health crisis although responsible media coverage is badly needed.

REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

EU-US trade negotiations continue shutting out the public – when will they learn?

EU and US trade officials still have not learned the more important lesson from ACTA – shutting out the public from seeing or participating in a given policymaking venue only guarantees that the public will see those resulting policies as illegitimate.

Cover of The first "Captain Underpants" book, Wikipedia

Without net neutrality, the threats range from slow lanes to censorship

There is a real danger that eliminating the open net could lead to content discrimination by Internet providers that don’t like what they see.

Link to: Burma: Free expression, media freedom and 2015 elections

Burma: Free expression, media freedom and 2015 elections

A new country report by ARTICLE 19 stresses the importance of freedom of expression particularly in the lead up to and during the 2015 elections.

Link to: Moroccans’ right to access information jeopardized in new draft law

Moroccans’ right to access information jeopardized in new draft law

ARTICLE 19 has reviewed the new Moroccan Draft Law No 31.13 on the Right of Access to Information and finds that it fails to adequately recognise the right to information and threatens free expression.