Five G20 countries are failing to meet commitments to publish data that helps tackle corruption, says an anti-corruption pressure group. If the data was publicly available it could be used to curb criminal activities, including money laundering and tax evasion.
In 2015 the G20 agreed that to help stop corruption, governments should publish data on open data platforms so that civil society could monitor the use of public resources, including how taxes are spent, how contracts are awarded and how money is funnelled into political campaigns. Connecting the Dots: Building the Case for Open Data to Fight Corruption looked at how much progress Brazil, France, Germany, Indonesia and South Africa have made in implementing the G20 Anti-Corruption Open Data Principles. These countries were chosen as a representative global and economic cross-section of G20 countries.
No country has released all the information and much of the information that has been released is hard to find and use. None of the countries posted any information about who owns companies (beneficial ownership information). France was the only country to publish some information on lobbying activities and only Brazil published information about government spending.
Robin Hodess, interim Internal Managing Director of campaign group Transparency International and a co-author of the report, said: “Governments need to step up their game if open data is to put a dent in global corruption. They must work to change attitudes among civil servants, invest in vital technology and the development of skills, and crucially, they must enshrine G20 Principles into national law.”
And Craig Fagan, Web Foundation Policy Director, said: “The Panama Papers showed us the scale of corruption happening in the shadows that datasets can help reveal. These developments called for urgent solutions. That governments are instead dragging their feet on mobilising open data raises questions about their commitment to transparency.”
Transparency International and the Web Foundation analysed ten datasets linked to anti-corruption measures. These included public information on lobbying, land registrations, government spending, beneficial ownership of companies and political financing.
Researchers scored the quality of each data set using a nine-point checklist that includes an assessment of the timeliness for publication and updates, ease of access, provision of supporting documents, and the ability to cross-reference data sets. France performed best.
