David Banisar
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dbanisar.bsky.social
David Banisar
@dbanisar.bsky.social
360 followers 360 following 210 posts
Visiting Fellow @ lsegovernment.bsky.social, govacctproj.bsky.social. Consultant/human rights lawyer. #Privacy, #FOI, #freeexpression, #corruption, #whistleblowing, #SDGs etc. Formerly Article19, PrivacyIntl, EPIC. Random mapmaker
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dbanisar.bsky.social
New map for International Right to Know Day. 132 UN countries now with FOI law+6 w/ regulation, covering 92% of world population. 2 new cos in last year Senegal and Costa Rica.
Map of countries with freedom of information laws in dark green or regulations in light green, bills in yellow. Over 2/3 of map is dark green.
September 29, 2025 at 8:49 AM
dbanisar.bsky.social
Deja vu!
From Blair’s biography: “Identity cards were another thing altogether. In this case, there was a substantial body of opinion opposed, including many on practical grounds. I was convinced that they were necessary for two reasons: firstly, I could see no other alternative to dealing with illegal immigration. I was worried about immigration both in itself and because I thought, unless tackled, it had the capacity greatly to undermine good race relations. Secondly, I thought that over time ID cards would help simplify transactions in both the public and the private sectors, which are nowadays the warp and woof of ordinary living. Mortgage transactions, bank withdrawals, credit cards, underage drinking, dealing with a myriad of public services, welfare – all of these interactions frequently require some form of proof of identity.” Excerpt From A JOURNEY Blair, Tony
August 3, 2025 at 3:26 PM
dbanisar.bsky.social
Just wanted to say that this issue of the @economist.com has aged like a fine cheese, stuck under a lit dumpster, behind a zero star hygiene rated takeaway etc…..

You have surpassed your usual brilliance and the world anxiously awaits your next tour de force.
July 22, 2025 at 1:23 AM
dbanisar.bsky.social
I’ll see your 915 and raise you 1638 caring!
July 21, 2025 at 2:21 AM
dbanisar.bsky.social
A new personal best for valuing my privacy. With only 1638 partners also valuing it? I’m feeling a lot of love. #dataprotection.
Privacy notice from Inc.com asking to confirm sharing info with 1638 partners.
July 16, 2025 at 2:03 PM
dbanisar.bsky.social
Big transparency news from @ofcom.bsky.social. The report on researcher access and the transparency reporting guidance are coming in the next month!

www.ofcom.org.uk/cy/online-sa...
Over the remainder of this year, our key milestones include: • Industry fees. On Thursday 26th June, we published our Online Safety fees and penalties statement. • Report on Researcher Access. The Act requires us to publish a report, considering how independent researchers can access information from regulated online services to conduct research into online safety matters. We will publish this in July 2025, following our consultation published at the end of 2024. Our report will assess the current status of researcher access, issues constraining access and the extent to which greater access might be achieved for independent researchers studying online safety issues. • Categorisation and additional duties on categorised services. We have been working towards publication of the register of categorised services in summer 2025. The secondary legislation laid by the Government which sets the thresholds that will determine which services are categorised is currently subject to legal challenge. We will monitor this closely, provide an update when we know more about any potential impact of this challenge on our work, and publish the register as soon as possible thereafter. In the meantime, we will publish the final version of our transparency reporting guidance in July 2025, having consulted on this guidance in 2024.
June 30, 2025 at 11:42 AM
dbanisar.bsky.social
Too much?
Sign from Museum of Leaves in Tirana: State Security employees are only party workers, primarily political workers, and nothing else. Enver Hoxha
June 28, 2025 at 1:06 PM
dbanisar.bsky.social
I’ve been waiting for a use for this one!
Every dead body on Mt. Everest was once a highly motivated person, so maybe calm down. ©ephemera-inc.com
May 14, 2025 at 10:20 PM
dbanisar.bsky.social
A voice outside a cartoon castle shouts "The Peasants are Revolting", A very short angty King growls "You can say that again". From the Wizard of Id #3 by Brant Parker and Johnny Hart.
March 11, 2025 at 8:55 AM
dbanisar.bsky.social
Happy Data Protection Day. A new map of the 166 countries and jurisdictions that have now adopted comprehensive data protection laws. Around 83% of the global population.

In 2024, 5 countries adopted comprehensive laws for the first time, as well as the Vatican and the Gelephu Mindfulness City!
Map of world showing that a majority of countries (75%) except US, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Iran, Yemen and a few other places have adopted comprehensive data protection laws which protect personal information.
January 28, 2025 at 9:15 AM
dbanisar.bsky.social
Happy 134th birthday to Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis' The Right to Privacy in the Harvard Law Review, the basis for modern privacy law (although as the article notes, it already existed in France) (1)

Full text at www.jstor.org/stable/1321160

#privacy #dataprotection
Title page of the Harvard Law Review from December 15, 1890, with seminal "The Right to Privacy" article by Warren and Brandeis. And of course it's important, it was in the HARVARD law review!
December 15, 2024 at 12:31 PM
dbanisar.bsky.social
Full house at @cfs-rusi.bsky.social for launch of new report on rewarding #whistleblowers in fight against corporate crime.
December 10, 2024 at 9:21 AM
dbanisar.bsky.social
On this day in 1766, the Kingdom of Sweden (then including Finland) adopted "His Majesty’s Gracious Ordinance Relating to Freedom of Writing and of the Press” (Freedom of Press Act), the worlds first Freedom of Information Act. #FOI
Excerpt of photo of 1766 Swedish Freedom of the Press Act with very fancy scripts on brownish paper.
December 2, 2024 at 5:21 PM
dbanisar.bsky.social
An impressive number of people caring about my privacy.
New Republic cookies page announcing they are sharing personal data with 861 partners and they all care about your privacy. Touching, really.
November 23, 2024 at 7:52 AM
dbanisar.bsky.social
Shining the Light on Corruption: Freedom of Information and Transparency in Central and Eastern Europe. New report explores how Freedom of Information (#FOI) laws in Central and Eastern Europe serve as vital tools for transparency and combating #corruption.

ceeliinstitute.org/news/ceeli-r...
AI generated image of sunlight shining on a box of files in a somewhat dystopian room with fans, papers and digits on dark walls and floors.
October 23, 2024 at 2:34 PM
dbanisar.bsky.social
I might be a bit paranoid but have the security services gotten the schools to try and turn our children against strong crypto? 🤔🤔🤔
Question for Uk secondary school computer class with correct answer being that strong encryption can be used to allow terrorists to send messages.
October 8, 2024 at 7:55 PM
dbanisar.bsky.social
I'm in, but we have to put down Rockstar (and everyone in the video) first.
Kuala with a machine-gun, of course! And wearing a brown baseball cap.
October 5, 2024 at 9:05 PM
dbanisar.bsky.social
Happy Right to Know Day (or in UN speak, #IDUAI). Here's an updated not so random map of countries around the world with #FOI laws and bills. 130 countries (UN Member States) with laws and 7 with regulations. Only one new country in last year (Zambia). 27 with pending initiatives.
Map of world presenting countries with freedom of information laws, regulations or bills. 2/3 of countries have laws or bills coloured in green.
September 28, 2024 at 11:13 AM
dbanisar.bsky.social
Deeply concerned that things have gotten out of hand at @ioe.bsky.social Is this the last chance to save humanity?
April 27, 2024 at 4:58 PM
dbanisar.bsky.social
An update of the global map of countries with comprehensive data protection laws and bills.

160 countries and self-governing jurisdictions around the world have now adopted comprehensive data protection laws or regulations - 8 new in 2023 - covering around 82% of the global population.
Map of world coloured by countries with data protection laws (blue), pending bills (red), grey (regulations), and no information (tan). Most of the world is blue, excepting the US (red for pending bills), and a number of countries in Africa and MENA and Asia.
February 13, 2024 at 1:50 PM