June 20, 2013 11:07AM

Hacking for Liberty

By Jim Harper

You’ve probably heard the old parable about the man looking for his car keys under a street lamp because the light is better there.


I’ve regularly worried aloud about the government transparency project following the same path. Most recently, I pointed out that the president’s executive order was about open data, not transparent government.


“Open data” is pretty much any data the government makes available in useful formats — Agriculture Department data about the gender of farm operators, for example. But don’t look there for government transparency. The Ag Department’s check register is still in the dark.


Transparent government is going to result from data that reflects the deliberations, management, and results of all the government’s agencies and organs. It’s fine to release interesting data, and it’s fine for people to build things with it, but the government transparency project doesn’t advance without data about what government entities are thinking and doing, and how well they’re doing it.


That’s why I’m happy to have offered the legislative data we produce to a hack‐​a‐​thon happening this week in San Francisco. Lincoln Labs’ Liberty Hackathon offers $5,000 in prizes to the top producers of technologies that advance civic values like individual privacy and economic liberty. “Top ideas and teams will be considered for future investment.” Sounds good.


My hope is that someone will build something that makes it easier to automatically track what’s happening in Congress, like, oh, spending for example. Our data can automatically reveal every bill that proposes spending, the amount, and the purpose. Wouldn’t it be nice to have that information at your fingertips? You might be inspired to contact your senators and member of Congress and tell them what you think. Maybe an app will tell you how your representatives voted on each and every spending bill that becomes law.


“Data excavation” is how Seamus Kraft at the OpenGov Foundation has characterized the work we do in our Deepbills project, and I’ve been very complimented by his recognition of the work. Transparency will not be a gift from government. We’ll have to dig out the data about the government’s deliberations, management, and results. Maybe this weekend some of the projects produced at the Liberty Hackathon will show how excavated government data energize democracy and protect liberty.