Government Transparency

Government openness and transparency are cornerstones to a healthy democracy.

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Government openness and transparency are cornerstones to a healthy democracy and fights for access and fair process at all levels of government.

We can only hold our government accountable – and ensure that it is working on behalf of the people – when we shed light on what public entities and officials are doing. The ACLU of Maine advocates for strong laws that require transparency and public access, including to public meetings and government records, and we use open records requests to collect information relevant to protecting civil liberties.

The federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Maine's Freedom of Access Act are crucial tools for ordinary people to provide checks and balances on elected officials; filing requests and obtaining information is just a first step in keeping public officials transparent and accountable.

The Latest

Press Release
ACLU: Share image

Maine House Passes Landmark Privacy Bill

The Maine House of Representatives today passed LD 1822, a bill to support Fourth Amendment rights and protect personal data by limiting sweeping digital surveillance.
News & Commentary
A license plate reader against sky and trees

Kansas Town Uses License Plate Readers to Go After Man Who Wrote Op-Ed

Targeting followed opinion piece critical of town’s police and anonymously posted anti-ICE fliers
News & Commentary
A man holding a child's hand and walking down a colorful grocery store aisle

Retailers Secretively Using Face Recognition to Spot “Persons of Interest” — Including For the Government

Are Wegmans and other retailers participating in the Trump war on immigrants?
News & Commentary
City councilmembers in Oak Park Village IL debating ALPR

Flock CEO Goes Ballistic on Critics as More Americans Question Mass Driver Surveillance

CEO attacks motives of people who care about privacy, says they are trying to “normalize lawlessness” and “let murderers go free”
Court Case
Jul 27, 2020

Keeping Government Transparent – Human Rights Defense Center v. Municipal Risk Pool

In a landmark decision, Maine’s highest court ruled that a government entity acted in bad faith when it withheld public documents. This ruling shows that Maine’s open records laws have teeth, and that when the government illegally denies access to public documents, it will pay the price.