Panel: Obama's open government directive faces hurdles

The Obama administration's open government directive is a step toward enhancing transparency and democracy, but it still has a ways to go, technology observers said. Panelists at a State of the Union for Technology event hosted by The Atlantic magazine in Washington, said that while the mandate could have meaningful results, the challenge is translating innovative ideas into actual government policy. The administration has to find inexpensive ways to innovate, federal Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra said in his opening remarks. The open government directive gives agencies a free online platform to gather feedback, and since agencies launched their individual pages earlier in February, the administration has received 7,500 comments and ideas from the public.