Bibliograph

Blacked out, government secrecy in the information age, Alasdair Roberts

Type

Label

Blacked out, government secrecy in the information age, Alasdair Roberts

Language

eng

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Blacked out

Nature of contents

dictionaries

Responsibility statement

Alasdair Roberts

Sub title

government secrecy in the information age

Summary

Nearly forty years ago the US Congress passed the landmark Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) giving the public the right to government documents. This 'right to know' has been used over the past decades to challenge overreaching Presidents and secretive government agencies. The example of transparency in government has served as an example to nations around the world spawning similar statutes in fifty-nine countries. This 2006 book examines the evolution of the move toward openness in government. It looks at how technology has aided the disclosure and dissemination of information. The author tackles the question of whether the drive for transparency has stemmed the desire for government secrecy and discusses how many governments ignore or frustrate the legal requirements for the release of key documents. Blacked Out is an important contribution during a time where profound changes in the structure of government are changing access to government documents

Table Of Contents

1. The glass case -- I. Context -- 2. Secrecy and security -- 3. Regime change -- 4. Message discipline -- 5. Soft states -- II. Structure -- 6. Opaque networks -- 7. The corporate evil -- 8. Remote control -- III. Technology -- 9. Liquid paper -- IV. Conclusion -- 10. The end of the story?

Classification