September 19, 2023

MuckRock: Browse thousands of additional FOIA requests with the new FOIA Log Explorer

MuckRock: Browse thousands of additional FOIA requests with the new FOIA Log Explorer. “MuckRock’s users have already shared almost 90,000 public requests you can search, browse, follow or refile, but that is still just a small segment of the broader world of all Freedom of Information requests. The FOIA Log Explorer expands that view by importing data on thousands of requests from dozens of agencies at the state, local and federal level, making it easier to search through and see what kinds of materials agencies are and are not releasing, as well as helping you craft more targeted requests of your own.”

New Resources 0
September 12, 2023

ABC News: Sarah Sanders seeks to limit public records law amid suit related to her travel

ABC News: Sarah Sanders seeks to limit public records law amid suit related to her travel. “Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ push to overhaul the state’s expansive public records law stumbled at the start of a special legislative session she called this week, with Republican leaders late Monday reworking a bill to enact her changes as Sanders, who says the move is about security and government efficiency, faces criticism over the issue — even from within her party.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
September 4, 2023

WWLP: Private investigators seek new record access law

WWLP (Massachusetts): Private investigators seek new record access law. “A bill before the Joint Committee on Transportation would allow licensed private investigators and detectives to digitally access records managed by the Registry of Motor Vehicles. Industry experts say they are already legally entitled to this information under the Driver Privacy Protection Act, but must go in-person to the registry where they sometimes end up waiting for hours alongside those renewing their license or scheduling a road test.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
July 10, 2023

Irish News: Genealogy enthusiasts gifted new index of more than three million searchable names

Irish News: Genealogy enthusiasts gifted new index of more than three million searchable names. “GENEALOGY enthusiasts have been gifted a new index containing more than three million searchable names, to mark the centenary of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI). Around 3.2 million name indexes, relating to valuation records for the period 1864 to 1933, are now free to access as a result of a partnership between PRONI and well-known genealogy platform Ancestry.”

New Resources 0
May 10, 2023

Indy Week: Local Boards of Elections Face Harassment, Influx of Public Records Requests, Spread of Disinformation

Indy Week: Local Boards of Elections Face Harassment, Influx of Public Records Requests, Spread of Disinformation. “For the past few years, local boards of elections have also been under heightened scrutiny. Some election workers have received threats, while others have been assaulted by so-called poll watchers. Gary Sims, who has served as the director of the Wake County Board of Elections for eight years and is set to retire at the end of this month, can attest to the phenomenon personally.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
February 18, 2023

KERA: Getting public records is getting harder in Texas. Collin County is no exception

KERA: Getting public records is getting harder in Texas. Collin County is no exception. “After reports that Collin County Constable Joe Wright’s name had appeared on a membership list for an antigovernment extremist group, KERA government accountability reporter Caroline Love wanted to find out more about him. She obtained records from the Collin County Sheriff’s Office — where Wright had once worked — only after a lengthy open records battle. We asked her to find out if her experiences are symptomatic of a bigger problem.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
February 12, 2023

Stuff New Zealand: New website revealing how many properties landlords own is under investigation

Stuff New Zealand: New website revealing how many properties landlords own is under investigation. “While the website… which launched on Wednesday, was using publicly available information, a number of concerns had been raised about it, and some landlords were concerned it would stir up resentment. On Friday, the New Zealand Privacy Foundation said it breached the law and ethics around privacy, and LINZ announced it was looking into the website.”

New Resources 0
January 11, 2022

Missouri Independent: Governor looks to target Missouri Sunshine Law during legislative session

Missouri Independent: Governor looks to target Missouri Sunshine Law during legislative session. “Amending Missouri’s open records law to permit government agencies to withhold more information from the public — and charge more for any records that are turned over — is among Gov. Mike Parson’s priorities for the 2022 legislative session. The changes, which were outlined in a presentation to Parson’s cabinet that was obtained by The Independent through an open records request, include a proposal to allow government agencies to charge fees for the time attorneys spend reviewing records requested by the public.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
December 3, 2021

Democracy Docket: The Fight for Accountability After January 6

Democracy Docket: The Fight for Accountability After January 6. “Public Wise, an organization fighting to secure a government that reflects the will and protects the rights of all people, is launching a campaign to recognize the insurrection and hold accountable those responsible for it. Our first step is an exciting tool called the Insurrection Index, an online database of public records of individuals and organizations in positions of public trust who were involved in the deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol.”

New Resources 0
August 20, 2021

Appeals court: Senate, Cyber Ninjas must produce ‘audit’ records immediately (Arizona Mirror)

Arizona Mirror: Appeals court: Senate, Cyber Ninjas must produce ‘audit’ records immediately. “The state Senate can’t duck Arizona’s public records law because some records were created by and are in possession of Cyber Ninjas, the company that GOP legislative leaders hired to conduct a so-called ‘audit’ of the 2020 election in Maricopa County, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. That means the Senate must immediately turn over a bevy of documents requested by American Oversight, a liberal watchdog organization.”

Security & Legal Issues 0

The ResearchBuzz Firehose is regular RB content presented as individual posts.
For digest-type posts a couple of times a day, please visit ResearchBuzz.

Want to know how to best use the Firehose for content discovery?
Check out this handy article.

Get RB Firehose Via EMail

Enter your email address to subscribe to ResearchBuzz Firehose and get a firehose of new posts straight to your email.

Join 2,020 other subscribers

Recent Posts

Popular Posts

Latest ResearchBuzz Gizmos

Stephen’s Cloud Seeder
Search Mastodon Instances for Two Hashtags at a Time
Search Wikipedia for Mastodon Accounts with WMT
RSStodon v2
Mastodon Username Helper

Brought to you by Calishat.