(Corporate) Information Wants To Be Free

"Corporations love tax dollars but they have almost zero interest in being honest with taxpayers. Private companies have inserted themselves into court proceedings to prevent people accused of crimes from examining the (private company-supplied) evidence used against them. And when FOIA requesters come knocking on federal or local government doors, corporations swear on all that is profitably unholy that any information leak might destroy their competitive advantage.

That should stop us from demanding answers from corporations closely entwined with government interests — whether it’s via regulation or lucrative contracts laden with NDAs.

A recently published research paper [PDF] by Christopher Morten for the University of Pennsylvania Law Review argues the public has a right to this information. Corporations are the biggest beneficiaries of FOIA laws. Why, then, is it assumed the street doesn’t run both ways?"