Free data is as important as free speech

OPEN DATA is a basic right of citizens around the world, according the founder of the world wide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

Speaking to the BBC, Berners-Lee said that open data lets people hold leaders to account in places where corruption is widespread. He said that democracy can only work with an electorate that has information available, and that this is especially important to developing countries.

He believes that it also encourages investment. "The openness of governments is one of the things which makes investors decide whether to invest," he said. "When you make the government open, when they can see what's happening, they're much more likely to bring their money and companies into your country."

With the scandal surrounding UK MP's expenses and spending habits still fresh in the minds of many, the demand for transparency and easy access to government data is stronger than ever.

But the BBC also mentions initiatives in other countries like Brazil, where they have websites that track the public wealth of politicians, and India, which has a right to information act. On the other hand, countries like China and Iran have draconian censorship laws to limit the information that people can get.

Obviously just having reams of information isn't enough, but it does show the power of knowing what's going on. In Iran it was Twitter that was a tool used for organising protests and publicising dissent last year.

It also shows why China is hitting so hard on Google, which can inform its citizens about anything they want to know and might let them realise that maybe they don't have things quite so good. µ