Friday 2:50 PM–3:30 PM in Room 3
How to get public data from public servants
Hope E. Paasch
- Audience level:
- Novice
Description
In this short talk, you’ll learn the basics of making a request for public information under both federal and state law, including how to write the request, who to send it to and tactics for getting compliance.
Abstract
A healthy democracy depends on open information so that both the public and officials can participate in making good decisions. But a great deal of information is essentially hidden from public view, held in government databases that regular citizens can’t access. Even the public officials who have access are often not fully aware of what their data might show.
So how does a developer get access to that information, in hopes of shedding light on how government does or does not serve the needs of citizens?
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