Open government could present a challenge to intelligence agencies

The release of the open government directive could change intelligence agencies' policies that deny Internet access to nonclassified data that is currently available only in hard copy or only to government personnel, say some Washington transparency advocates. While many federal agencies already have started implementing parts of the guidance the White House issued on Tuesday, the CIA is still reviewing the document. The directive, which President Obama announced the day after he took office in January, establishes deadlines for agencies to comply with specific initiatives aimed at making the business of government more transparent and accountable to the public. One requirement instructs agencies to publish online within 45 days at least three downloadable data sets that have not previously been available online or in a downloadable format. At the same time, agencies must adhere to privacy and national security restrictions, according to the directive. Now that the directive is out, the circumstances driving the decisions to withhold online information have changed, some in the government transparency community said. They want the CIA to post on the Web declassified documents and noncopyrighted analyses of foreign news.