Technology Can Expose Government Sins, But You Need Humans to Fix Them

Written by Lorelei Kelly, 

01 Oct 2013 CityWatch 

This article appeared first in the New America Foundation’s Weekly Wonk and ZocaloPublicSquare.org … connecting people and ideas.) 

EXTRACT:ZOCALO PUBLIC SQUARE-The National Security Agency, in its surveillance, is unaccountable. But we don’t know what to do about it. Why?
At a recent meeting on Capitol Hill, a young Congressional staffer offered the answer. He said:
People think that tweeting or commenting online about the surveillance is actually doing something to hold the surveillance accountable. In other words, we’re confused about the connection between transparency and accountability. We haven’t defined the difference between using this era’s technological tools to shine a light on how government works and using this era’s technological tools to hold the government accountable. 
... According to calculations by the Sunlight Foundation, today’s Congress is operating with about 40 percent less staff than in 1979. According to the Congressional Management Foundation, it’s also contending with at least 800 percent more incoming communications. Yet, instead of helping Congress gain insight in new ways, instead of helping it sort and filter, curate and authenticate, technology has mostly created disorganized information overload. And the information Congress receives is often sentiment, not substance. Elected leaders should pay attention to both, but need the latter for policymaking.
Continue reading CityWatch