Blacked Out
Government Secrecy in the Information Age

This 2006 book examines the evolution of the move toward openness in government.

Alasdair Roberts (Author)

9780521858700, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 30 January 2006

336 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.66 kg

"Roberts describes the tactics that politicians and bureaucrats have used to preserve government secrecy, explains how profound changes in the structure of government-notably privatization of public services-are complicating campaigns for openness, and notes how new information technologies sometimes enhance openness, but sometimes create barriers."
-Future Survey

Nearly forty years ago the US Congress passed the landmark Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) giving the public the right to government documents. This 'right to know' has been used over the past decades to challenge overreaching Presidents and secretive government agencies. The example of transparency in government has served as an example to nations around the world spawning similar statutes in fifty-nine countries. This 2006 book examines the evolution of the move toward openness in government. It looks at how technology has aided the disclosure and dissemination of information. The author tackles the question of whether the drive for transparency has stemmed the desire for government secrecy and discusses how many governments ignore or frustrate the legal requirements for the release of key documents. Blacked Out is an important contribution during a time where profound changes in the structure of government are changing access to government documents.

1. The glass case
Part I. Context: 2. Secrecy and security
3. Gulliver
4. Message discipline
5. Soft states
Part II. Structure: 6. Opaque networks
7. The corporate evil
8. Remote control
Part III. Technology: 9. Liquid paper
Part IV. Conclusion: 10. We like to watch
Notes.

Subject Areas: Law & society [LAQ], Political control & freedoms [JPV], Central government [JPQ], Politics & government [JP]