3.1 From Secrecy to Openness In most countries, the disclosure of government documents is largely discretionary. Government agencies, at both the central and the local level, are rarely forthcoming with information unless it is in their interest. There are no general laws that provided a mechanism for public access enerally, access to government information can be defined as the availability for lon or coping of both records and recordings, possessed or controlled by a public authority. This mechanism came, for the first time in history, in the eighteenth century Sweden with the passage of the Act on Freedom of the Press (1766). After 1945 this regulatory approach was followed in other Scandinavian countries, in the United States(since 1996, when the Freedom of Information Act was enacted), and in several other countries. Among these are Australia, Canada, france, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Some other countries have constitutional clauses relating to a right of access, but not lways transformative legislation The route by which the promotion of the rights of access to official information has become a strong political issue is varied. Initially, the public's right to government information had been found to be closely related to the concept of human rights. Because of its importance for democratic society, the public's right to information was even acknowledged to constitute a third generation of human rights, after the civil and political rights of the eighteenth century, and the economic and social rights of the first half of the twentieth century. As it was stressed in the Council of Europe Recommendation on"Access by the Public to Government Records and Freedom of Information":"A parliamentary democracy can function adequately only if people in general and their elected representatives are The most recent emphasis, however, is on the commercial rather than human rights aspect of public sector information. There is now a widespread recognition by the private sector of the commercial value of much govemment information. Large data sets, as land registers, company registers, demographic statistics, and topographic information (maps)are routinely produced as a by-product of the day-to-day functioning of public administration. Information is not an end in itself. Sound and comprehensive information is needed if government is to frame workable public policies, plan effective services and distribute resources fairly and equitably. Government information, therefore, constitutes a resource of considerable importance. The potential of such data for exploitation via the digital network was noted and 3.2 Impact of Computerisation Over the 1970s and 1980s, when computerisation of public sector information systems in the most developed countries was in its infancy, there were fears that government agencies would use computerisation as a technology of secrecy rather than a technology of freedom utional provisions relating to a general right of public access to official informatio found in Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Finlan Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Spain 2 Council of Europe, Recommendation on"Access by the Public to Government Records and Freedom of Information", I February 1979, No8543.1 From Secrecy to Openness In most countries, the disclosure of government documents is largely discretionary. Government agencies, at both the central and the local level, are rarely forthcoming with information unless it is in their interest. There are no general laws that provided a mechanism for public access. Generally, access to government information can be defined as the availability for inspection or coping of both records and recordings, possessed or controlled by a public authority. This mechanism came, for the first time in history, in the eighteenth century Sweden with the passage of the Act on Freedom of the Press (1766). After 1945 this regulatory approach was followed in other Scandinavian countries, in the United States (since 1996, when the Freedom of Information Act was enacted), and in several other countries. Among these are Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Some other countries have constitutional clauses relating to a right of access, but not always transformative legislation1 . The route by which the promotion of the rights of access to official information has become a strong political issue is varied. Initially, the public=s right to government information had been found to be closely related to the concept of human rights. Because of its importance for democratic society, the public=s right to information was even acknowledged to constitute a third generation of human rights, after the civil and political rights of the eighteenth century, and the economic and social rights of the first half of the twentieth century. As it was stressed in the Council of Europe Recommendation on AAccess by the Public to Government Records and Freedom of Information@: AA parliamentary democracy can function adequately only if people in general and their elected representatives are fully informed@ 2 . The most recent emphasis, however, is on the commercial rather than human rights aspect of public sector information. There is now a widespread recognition by the private sector of the commercial value of much government information. Large data sets, as land registers, company registers, demographic statistics, and topographic information (maps) are routinely produced as a by-product of the day-to-day functioning of public administration. Information is not an end in itself. Sound and comprehensive information is needed if government is to frame workable public policies, plan effective services and distribute resources fairly and equitably. Government information, therefore, constitutes a resource of considerable importance. The potential of such data for exploitation via the digital network was noted and encouraged. 3.2 Impact of Computerisation Over the 1970s and 1980s, when computerisation of public sector information systems in the most developed countries was in its infancy, there were fears that government agencies would use computerisation as a technology of secrecy rather than a technology of freedom. 1 Constitutional provisions relating to a general right of public access to official information are to be found in Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Spain. _ 2 Council of Europe, Recommendation on "Access by the Public to Government Records and Freedom of Information", 1 February 1979, No.854 (1979). _