LawsForFreedomOfInformation.txt

19 Laws for freedom of information

So far, German authorities have worked under the assumption of official secrecy. In order to view public administration records or retrieve information from them, citizens needed to prove a legitimate interest. However, almost all industrialized Western countries give everyone the right to view records or retrieve information from them, without the need to legitimize their requests. Massachusetts has only been catching up to this international standard over the last few years. More and more people are beginning to understand that a transparent public administration not just strengthens the democratic participation of all citizens and decreases political alienation, but also makes it more difficult for officials to engage in manipulation and corruption. Everyone has full access to all authoritative and fiscal administrative procedures, without having to provide justification for their inquiry.

To protect this right, the Pirate Party demands the following minimum conditions for freedom of information laws:

• Exceptions, such as the protection of public interests, personal data and business secrets, must only be permitted where reasonable evidence can be provided and only under consideration of superordinate laws.
• People must be able to view and request information from records within a short, specified timeframe.
• The administrative fees for viewing records must be such that they do not obstruct the citizens’ right to free information.
• Simple requests and viewing of records which require little administrative work should always be free.
• Rejections of requests must be justified and must be verifiable by a court.

• The adherence to freedom of information laws must be monitored by a freedom of information officer, whom everyone can contact with complaints.