Survey: Governments' Pledge to be 'Open by Default' Still Mostly a Talking Point

According to a newly released World Wide Web Foundation survey of 86 countries, more than 90 percent of the polled nations still keep reams of government data hidden from the public. When data is released, it is often overly simplified and rarely updated, the survey found.

The second-annual Open Data Barometer Global Report examined each government’s ability to not only publicize its data but to do so in a way that allows the average person to access, read and share it. Only 8 percent met these standards when it came to government spending data, 13 percent when it came to government budgets and a startling 3 percent when it came to company ownership. The United Kingdom led with a score of 100, thanks in part to its publishing of land ownership data. The US, given a score of 93 and in second place, does not publish that data.