New report on transparency in government data requests
A major new report, launched today, investigates transparency processes in government requests to ICT companies for user information and content restriction. It analyses how both actors disclose information about law enforcement and national security requests in particular.
The report reflects the research of working group 3 of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), a partnership of 28 governments working to advance Internet freedom, of which Global Partners Digital is the secretariat. The working group, composed of 20 representatives from FOC governments, civil society, academia and the private sector, was set up to focus on the practices of ICT companies and governments in areas that could implicate privacy and free expression online.
For this report, the group interviewed representatives from seven countries and eight ICT companies under the Chatham House rule.
The report maps out the state of play, identifies key themes and challenges, and proposes concrete recommendations for both governments and companies to improve transparency.
Some key findings of the report include:
- Growing public expectations of government and corporate transparency
Governments and companies acknowledge public pressure to be more transparent and are pioneering new methods to do so. - Legal ambiguity is a barrier to transparency
Both governments and companies reported erring on the side of non-disclosure in situations where it is unclear whether something should or could be made public. - Lack of qualitative context in reporting
While more governments and companies are disclosing statistics, transparency could be improved by providing more context and describing policies and processes. - Need for alignment among companies and governments
Consistency among companies and governments on how they report on numbers, policies, and practices would improve transparency.
Disclaimer: This paper is the product of a multi-stakeholder working group, and not an official document of the Freedom Online Coalition. The report does not reflect the official views of FOC member governments (including those represented in the group).