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Nov.10.- There is a new Web site available to all providing easy access to US government documents made public by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This Web site is a private initiative and ParticipatoryDemocracy.net does not endorse it. We do not know yet the criterion used by the creators of these Web pages in selecting the partial list of documents available on that site. Nevertheless, this site is a useful tool for anyone interested in the US democracy and its issues. We think that this initiative is important enough for our readers interested in using the tools of democracy. The creators of this Web site explain how these tools may be of use to all as follows:
“GovernmentDocs.org was created to advance the values of open and accountable government. This site gives the public an unprecedented level of access to government documents by allowing users to browse, search, and review hundreds of thousands of pages acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and other public disclosure, or “sunshine,” laws. With the GovernmentDocs.org system, citizen reviewers can engage in the government accountability process like never before. Registered users can review and comment on documents, adding their insights and expertise to the work of the national nonprofit organizations which are partnering on this project. This new information then becomes instantly searchable. The text of each document is searchable, as well, thanks to a powerful Optical Character Recognition (OCR) functionality. GovernmentDocs.org adds a powerful layer to government transparency and accountability by indexing documents in a user-friendly manner that is remarkably easy to share. Every page of every document has its own unique url, allowing you and other users to link to that page on blogs, send emails about the documents to friends, and expose the information to a wider audience.” We sincerely hope that this is a sincere effort for open and accountable government, and that such tools will also be created and available in other countries in the near future. Those interested may visit this site HERE. Editorial Team |
