First POST: Finessing
BY Micah L. Sifry | Thursday, March 12 2015
We're supposed to believe Hillary Clinton never emailed classified material when gov't classifies practically everything; transparency theater; the new definition of deleting is "not saving"; and much, much more. Read More
First POST: Foreshadowing
BY Micah L. Sifry | Tuesday, February 3 2015
The emerging FCC deal on net neutrality; Obama's plans to expand federal digital teams; Google's plans to compete with Uber; and much, much more. Read More
As Primary Day Arrives, Teachout and Wu Unveil Tech Policy With Ohanian Endorsement
BY Miranda Neubauer | Monday, September 8 2014
New York gubernatorial candidates Zephyr Teachout and Tim Wu officially unveiled their technology policy Monday afternon as they received an enthusiastic endorsement from Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian a day before New York's Democratic primary. Read More
Civic Tech and Engagement: In Search of a Common Language
BY Micah L. Sifry | Friday, September 5 2014
We need much clearer language to describe civic tech. Too often, people working in this field struggle to put into words what it is they are striving for. It's not enough to assume that, like the Supreme Court and obscenity, we know good civic tech when we see it. And if we can't say why something is good (or even great), how can we know what to design for? Indeed, how do we even know if we're after the same design goals? Read More
In New York City and Silicon Valley, Local Government Innovation Gets Outside Help
BY Miranda Neubauer | Friday, August 8 2014
Bill signing with Ben Kallos, Bill de Blasio, Brad Lander, Noel Hidalgo and others (via @BenKallos on Twitter)
At this year's Personal Democracy Forum, executive director of digital at the British Cabinet Office Mike Bracken discussed how the push toward civic innovation often does not start from within government. "You have to start on the outside, you have to finish on the inside." Two announcements in in New York City and Silicon Valley this week illustrate an increasing interplay between government's desire to take advantage of technology potential and the capabilities and skills of the external civic technology community (and the new trend of mayoral selfies). Read More
NYC Open Data Advocates Focus on Quality And Value Over Quantity
BY Miranda Neubauer | Thursday, July 24 2014
The New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications plans to publish more than double the amount of datasets this year than it published to the portal last year, new Commissioner Anne Roest wrote last week in an annual report mandated by the city's open data law, with 135 datasets scheduled to be released this year, and almost 100 more to come in 2015. But as preparations are underway for City Council open data oversight hearings in the fall, what matters more to advocates than the absolute number of the datasets is their quality. Read More
With Rules Reform, New York City Council Aims for Open API
BY Miranda Neubauer | Thursday, May 15 2014
The New York City Council on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution amending its rules to require the Council Speaker to make available legislative tracking information data and discretionary funding data to the public in a machine-readable format, and City Council members and open government advocates see the changes as a basis for making legislative information available through an open API. Read More
NYPD Among First To Release Detailed Accessible Local Collision Data (Updated)
BY Miranda Neubauer | Thursday, May 8 2014
The New York Police Department has published long-sought motor vehicle collision data in a machine-readable format in connection with the launch of BigApps 2014, the city's annual application development competition that will place a focus on Mayor Bill de Blasio's Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic fatalities, setting an example for other cities, according to open data advocates. Read More
NYC Mayor De Blasio Names DOITT Commissioner
BY Miranda Neubauer | Tuesday, May 6 2014
Civic Hackers Call on de Blasio to Fill Technology Vacancies
BY Miranda Neubauer | Thursday, April 24 2014
New York City technology advocates on Wednesday called on the de Blasio administration to fill vacancies in top technology policy positions, expressing some frustration at the lack of a leadership team to implement a cohesive technology strategy for the city. Read More