7 ms·

We also have public records laws where we can hold gov agencies accountable to their abuse of, eg information. Doesn't really exist in private orgs, and it's on

by chaps 3y ago

We also have public records laws where we can hold gov agencies accountable to their abuse of, eg information. Doesn't really exist in private orgs, and it's one of the reasons gov agencies love third party vendors.

j45 3y ago
Interesting. Could the laws be changed without the population
- chaps 3y ago
  Not 100% sure what you mean, but yes we need something similar to GDPR which allows requests for our own information. It's a mostly a matter of legislative interest, which can stem from demands from the public.
  - hedora 3y ago
    In the US, with stuff like qualified immunity, having public access to records of crimes doesn’t allow anyone to be held accountable. Also, based on repeated leaks, our public records laws are completely inadequate. At least when an ad tech company gets caught breaking the law, they get fined a couple seconds of revenue, and there is a theoretical chance someone might get sent out for a few days of community service or probation.
    - chaps 3y ago
      Preaching to the choir there! While public records laws stink, a lot of the work by orgs involved in transparency, and others have made it better. By no means is it going to be "good" anytime soon, but progress is certainly being made. Whether the work is being done fast enough is a different story, though I'll say that any amount of help makes a larger difference than it might seem. Just gotta be persistent. One of my proudest moments is (through reporting) getting the Chicago police department to admit they made an enormous mistake in their analysis, which a colleague says was the first time he's seen them admit to such a mistake in the years he's done this work. So there are signs that it's not all lost. Happy to chat about ways to contribute towards this work if you're interested. One thing I'll say about leaks is that they occasionally have the effect of revitalizing interest in these issues. But again, it takes persistence.
  - j45 3y ago
    The question may be too simple: Can the politicians already elected enact any laws they wish by their majority?

by chaps 3y ago

j45 3y ago

Interesting. Could the laws be changed without the population

chaps 3y ago
Not 100% sure what you mean, but yes we need something similar to GDPR which allows requests for our own information. It's a mostly a matter of legislative interest, which can stem from demands from the public.
- hedora 3y ago
  In the US, with stuff like qualified immunity, having public access to records of crimes doesn’t allow anyone to be held accountable. Also, based on repeated leaks, our public records laws are completely inadequate. At least when an ad tech company gets caught breaking the law, they get fined a couple seconds of revenue, and there is a theoretical chance someone might get sent out for a few days of community service or probation.
  - chaps 3y ago
    Preaching to the choir there! While public records laws stink, a lot of the work by orgs involved in transparency, and others have made it better. By no means is it going to be "good" anytime soon, but progress is certainly being made. Whether the work is being done fast enough is a different story, though I'll say that any amount of help makes a larger difference than it might seem. Just gotta be persistent. One of my proudest moments is (through reporting) getting the Chicago police department to admit they made an enormous mistake in their analysis, which a colleague says was the first time he's seen them admit to such a mistake in the years he's done this work. So there are signs that it's not all lost. Happy to chat about ways to contribute towards this work if you're interested. One thing I'll say about leaks is that they occasionally have the effect of revitalizing interest in these issues. But again, it takes persistence.
- j45 3y ago
  The question may be too simple: Can the politicians already elected enact any laws they wish by their majority?