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The Europe roundup: Waiting for our conference...

BY Antonella Napolitano | Friday, October 1 2010

Yes, it's time! PdF Europe 2010 will take place in Barcelona next Monday and Tuesday and we hope to see you there. For those of you who can't make it: don't worry, we'll provide plenty of coverage of the conference. ... Read More

The Europe roundup: From open data to accountability: the German way to open gov?

BY Antonella Napolitano | Wednesday, September 29 2010

Germany | From open data to accountability: the German way to open gov? The German scenario is enriching of new startup experiences fostering transparency and accountability: that's the case of Tactical Tools, a startup ... Read More

The Europe roundup: An inaccessible law on access

BY Antonella Napolitano | Monday, September 27 2010

Spain | An inaccessible law on access A law on transparency and access is being discussed by the Spanish governement but, though the draft has reportedly been completed in mid-august, it doesn't seem available. Access ... Read More

The Europe roundup: When the Speaker speaks on Youtube...

BY Antonella Napolitano | Sunday, September 26 2010

Italy| When the Speaker speaks on Youtube... The conflict between the Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi and the co-founder of his party, Gianfranco Fini (currently Speaker of the Chamber of the Deputies) is no news: the ... Read More

PdF Europe 2010: Announcing this year's Google Fellows

BY Antonella Napolitano | Thursday, September 23 2010

It took us some time, as the competition was very tough, but here we are. We're pleased to announce the list of people that will be attending PdF Europe as this year's Google Fellows: Marga de Villiers (South Africa), ... Read More

The Europe roundup: The EP web editors at PdF Europe

BY Antonella Napolitano | Wednesday, September 22 2010

EU | The EP web editors at PdF Europe Stephen Clark will be one of our keynote speakers at PdF Europe and he is working to explain how social media can fit in the communications strategy of the European Parliament: Read More

The Europe roundup: Spaghetti open data reloaded

BY Antonella Napolitano | Monday, September 20 2010

Italy | Spaghetti open data reloaded After explaining how the open data scenario is changing in Italy, PdF speaker Alberto Cottica launches his call to action to map open database all over Italy: Read More

The Europe roundup: Reding on Twitter: a new communications strategy?

BY Antonella Napolitano | Sunday, September 19 2010

EU | Viviane Reding on Twitter: a new communications strategy? Maybe that was about time. After speaking on the EU communication strategy - and being strongly criticized for her remarks - EU's Justice Commissioner ... Read More

The Europe roundup: The European Transparency Initiative

BY Antonella Napolitano | Wednesday, September 15 2010

EU | The European Transparency Initiative Last month PdF Europe speaker Ronny Patz proposed an attempt of visualisation of EU funds awarded in 2009 (based on a study presented at the European Parliament in July 2010), ... Read More

The Europe roundup: MP for a week

BY Antonella Napolitano | Monday, September 13 2010

UK | MP for a week Do you think you're MP material? Why don't trying to act like one? That's the starting point of MP for a week, an educational game by the UK Parliament aimed at young people. The aim is to make the ... Read More

News Briefs

RSS Feed monday >

Czech Prime Minister Resigns Following Corruption and Surveillance Scandal

The prime minister of the Czech Republic resigned yesterday, irreparably damaged by a corruption scandal and the possibility of impropriety in his personal life. According to the Czech constitution, his entire government will also have to relinquish office.

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The Disappearance of Greece's Fourth Estate

On June 11 the Greek government abruptly announced the immediate closure of the country's state-owned public broadcasting company, ERT (Hellenic Radio and Television), in what they said was a cost-cutting measure. The move, which came with no prior discussion, puts 2,750 people out of work, in a country with an official unemployment rate that is nearly 27 percent. It also makes Greece the only European Union member state without a public broadcasting service. GO

friday >

Mayors of New York City and San Francisco Announce "Digital Cities" Summit

The Mayors of New York City and San Francisco announced Friday that they're co-hosting meetings in the Fall and early next year to examine the "best practices" that lead to tech-enabled economic growth. The meetings are follow-ups to the initial Bloomberg Technology Summit held last year in New York City. This year's summit in New York ... GO

New York State Joins GitHub to Get Feedback on Open Data Policy

New York is the first state to publish an initial draft of its open data guidelines on GitHub to seek feedback from the public, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced in a press release Thursday. GO

Brazilians Protest Forced Evictions on YouTube and in Mock World Cup

Tomorrow Brazilians who have been forced out of their housing in advance of the 2014 World Cup will stage their own “People's Cup” in Rio de Janeiro to draw awareness to forced evictions.

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A “Fix-Rate” for Corruption: Integrity Action Wins the Google Global Impact Award

“From wanachi (“citizen”) to up there,” Emmanuel Dzombo explains with an upward sweep of his hand, is how Integrity Action has begun to reverse the bureaucratic top-down approach that has often blocked development work in Kenya. Dzombo is a local leader in Chengoni, Kenya, a country that ranks towards the very bottom of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index – at 139. The organization believes it could do more, and Google.org seems to agree. The Google Impact Challenge will provide the charity with £500,000 that will allow it to develop a mobile application for tracking and collecting data from citizens. GO

Crowdsourced "Danger Maps" Track Air, Soil and Water Pollution in China

Chinese citizens are exposing sources of pollution and other environmental problems by contributing to the partially crowdsourced website 'Danger Maps'. So far, the Chinese government is letting them get away with it.

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thursday >

U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board To Meet Next Wednesday

A long dormant independent agency that was at least nominally supposed to exercise a modicum of oversight over the booming intelligence-industrial complex is scrambling to meet up next Wednesday, but the public will still be none the wiser about what it plans to do, since it is a closed door meeting. The only indication that the toothless ... GO

Despite Software Problems, Civic Hackers are Pedaling Bike Share Data

Reporters are shoaling around the news that New York City's new bike sharing system, Citi Bike, is benighted with problems stemming from its high-tech software. But that's not putting the brakes on plans to explore what programmers might do with data generated by the system by hosting a Citi Bike Civic Hack Night later this month. GO

Grassroots Republicans Are Not Waiting for the RNC To Revamp Their Digital Strategy

Several members of the Republican Party rank and file aren't waiting around for the GOP to reinvent itself on the technological front. They're organizing events themselves to explore what a tech-enabled GOP might look like for the 2014 cycle. GO

wednesday >

New Russian Law Makes Publication of Information on Gay Rights Illegal

On June 11 the Russian parliament passed a bill against “homosexual propaganda” that effectively outlaws gay rights rallies and bans informational or pro-gay rights material from publication in the media or on the Internet. Violators of the law will risk heavy fines and censorship and, in the case of a media outlet, risk being shut down. It had near unanimous support, passing in a 436-to-0 vote, with only one abstention.

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Macedonia Draft Law to Regulate and Restrict the "Last Arena for Freedom of Speech"

The draft of a media regulation law in Macedonia has journalists and press freedom watchdogs up in arms. The proposed Law on Media and Audiovisual Media Services was written by the government behind closed doors and without input from the media or NGOs. It has been interpreted as a decisive move on the part of the government to limit speech online in a country where press freedoms are already limited. Until now, Internet-based news sites were not regulated like print media.

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Trying to Prosecute Online Piracy in Canada? Good Luck!

A private firm that is monitoring Canadians who download pirated content online has found itself at the center of a legal battle. GO

tuesday >

In Kenya, Apps Fizzle Out After Winning Competitions

This spring, Kenyan tech blogger Kennedy Kachwanya left the regional Microsoft Imagine Cup competition thoroughly underwhelmed by the quality of the apps presented. He then wrote an impassioned post (in his words, a rant) on his website Kachwanya.com about the decline of the Kenyan mobile app. He is also outraged because even winning apps seem to fall off the map – basically fail – after the competition is over and media coverage dies down.

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Companies and Internet Activists to Congress: Investigate Potential NSA Surveillance Overreach

Over 80 advocacy organizations and Internet companies including Free Press and Mozilla have launched what they are calling a global petition to Congress calling for an inquiry into the scope and scale of reported government surveillance and reforms to the Patriot Act, the FISA Amendment Act and the state secrets privilege. GO

Canada Has its Own Version of PRISM, Reveals Toronto Newspaper

While it may not have a Bond film-worthy name like PRISM, it turns out Canada has a surveillance program of its own. Canadian news outlet The Globe and Mail learned about the program through Access to Information requests filed with the government. They sifted through hundred of records, although extensive passages were redacted for reasons of national security so there are still lingering questions and concerns.

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