In the fourth Think Commons session associated with the Data Commons Lab we will talk to David Cabo about transparency.
Tu derecho a saber was the first website in Spain that gave you the opportunity to request information from any public institution, even before the existence of the transparency law. It was a joint initiative of Civio and Access Info Europe, and was launched in March 2012. The platform was based on the British mySociety website WhatDoTheyKnow.com. Other similar applications are operational in other countries, such as Germany, and at European Union level with AsktheEU.
While it was operating, Your right to know channelled more than 1,800 requests for information, putting some 900 public bodies within reach with a single click. Nearly 400,000 people consulted the website, which showed both the questions of citizens and the responses from the administrative bodies. And through the blog, many thousands more closely followed the ins and outs of the processing of the transparency law, its limitations and those of its implementation. This work of dissemination and pedagogy continues today.
It was also a powerful lobbying tool. And even before a body provided citizens with answers, the percentage of silence in response to the enquiries from Your right to know revealed the true face of the administrative bodies when it came to answering the citizens: an administrative silence of 54% in 2012; 57% in 2013; and 42% in 2014.
The Think Commons session will take place online at the following url: Think Commons #4. At Hirikilabs we will meet at 17:45 to take part in the session as a group.
In the fourth Think Commons session associated with the Data Commons Lab we will talk to David Cabo about transparency.