This is what I just emailed to the advisory board I was asked to join for a trade group that had a call today with a Senate staffer who thanked them for agreeing to hold a conference call off the record (with no notice of that rule that I could find):

Pardon for being inhospitable on my first meeting, but I was appalled that today’s discussion was secret. This was an employee of our government discussing public legislation with public companies and entities, attempting to do the people’s business in secrecy and we enabled such behavior. I saw no notice that this would be off the record; I had no opportunity to object. Call me naive and I do not care. Good lord, government employees have no right to do the people’s business in private. This is our Senate, our legislation, our internet. Disinvite me if you will, but the next time I am surprised by secretly negotiated rules to be secret, I will hang up and complain publicly.

Jeff Jarvis, OTR is BS

Data.gov and other transparency sites to be shut down due to budget cuts

mikehudack:

idroolinmysleep:

Does the US budget really need to save $37 million, or do some people in Congress not care for transparency? Go to the Sunlight Foundation and sign its open letter to Congress to save these sites.

This is what happens when you use a broadsword instead of a scalpel.

This is just the beginning.