Trump signs ‘transformative’ transparency law

By Steven Nelson

Published January 25, 2019 5:00am ET

Trump signs ‘transformative’ transparency law — Few national publications bothered to write a story when President Trump signed into law the OPEN Government Data Act this month, but advocates say the transparency law is poised to permanently improve government accountability. The law requires agencies to release data by default in machine-readable format and to hire “chief data officers” to manage implementation. […]

Few national publications bothered to write a story when President Trump signed into law the OPEN Government Data Act this month, but advocates say the transparency law is poised to permanently improve government accountability.

The law requires agencies to release data by default in machine-readable format and to hire “chief data officers” to manage implementation. Agencies must also post inventories of their holdings, and any data withheld can be sought under the Freedom of Information Act.