Title: freedominfo.org

Source/Sponsoring Agency: Banisar, David; Coronel, Sheila; Blanton, Thomas; Evans, Michael; freedominfo.org; Open Society Institute (Budapest, Hungary); George Washington University; National Security Archive Fund, Inc.

URL: http://www.freedominfo.org/

Date Checked: 8/9/2002      Status: Active

Date Annotated: 8/9/2002

Topics: Banking Law; Foreign Law

Other keywords: Freedom of Information

Contents: Based at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., freedominfo.org presents itself as a "one-stop portal that describes best practices, consolidates lessons learned, explains campaign strategies and tactics, and links the efforts of freedom of information advocates around the world." It was initially funded by The Open Society Institute (Budapest, Hungary); its current fiscal sponsor is the non-profit National Security Archive Fund Inc. One of the most useful features of the site is a global survey by David Banisar (of Privacy International) outlining the state of access to information in over forty countries. Included in the survey are links to relevant sites in those particular countries. A section of the website devoted to case studies shows how countries are implementing freedom of information laws, with suggestions as to what approaches might be most successful. Articles and analysis regarding the lack of transparency in major international financial institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization appear in a section called "IFTI (International Financial and Trade Institutions) Watch." The site also provides a useful listing of freedom of information websites and organizations for further research. Users can sign up for an electronic update service which provides notification when there are significant updates to the website.

Author of Annotation: C. Finger