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Avery Morrow

User Profile Image Avery Morrow
Member since : May-21-2009 (Verified)
1 Ideas, 3 Comments, 101 Votes

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Ideas Posted

In the United Kingdom, FOIA documents are not only sent to the researcher who asks for them, but posted publicly on agency websites. FOIA archives on British websites often serve as a sort of FAQ for people interested in the activities of an agency, and prevent unnecessary duplicate FOIA requests. It would require little to no effort for the United States to do the same thing. In fact, we could one-up the UK by creating a "foia.gov" that archives every request ever made.
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Comments Posted

Avery Morrow 9 months ago
I was in a hurry to post this first suggestion, so I didn't provide as many details as I should have. The "operating system" of America is our code of laws and regulations. Court verdicts, for example, are in the public domain, but are hidden behind an archaic for-pay access system. Carl Malamud downloaded all of them from the access system and put them on his website-- something the courts should have done themselves. Building codes are also public but often sold for $200 or so to make money for the agencies. Carl Malamud posted these codes online. And so forth.
Avery Morrow 9 months ago
You probably should have included that you are the director of that office.
Avery Morrow 9 months ago
OK, I understand better now. When I think of "social media" I think of stuff like Twitter and Facebook. While those technologies can be used to contact people who are interested in government, in terms of participation they're no better than simply putting a news page on the agency website. If you mean petition sites like this one, though, I agree that they are quite effective.