The Right to Know

The events of September 11, 2001 (or 9/11 as it has come to be known in the collective psyche) affected all facets of society and had implications that went far beyond the United States borders. The reaction of governments to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and subsequent attacks such as in Casablanca (in 2003), Madrid (in 2004) and London (in 2005) resulted in national security-related legislation being passed in many countries outside the United States, such as in Canada, United Kingdom and the European Union, China, Russia, Australia as well as in various African countries. In their quest for protecting citizens and enhancing national and global security, governments have increasingly tightened control over information and informational activities such as the production, management, and diffusion of information. Indeed, the war on terror has been marked by a war on disclosure and dissemination of any information deemed to be of a sensitive nature. The consequences of such legislation are significant for various sectors of society, including the media and publishing sectors, the scientific and academic circles, civil society as well as the broader public.
Although restrictions on information access to public (or government-held) information are not new and have occurred in previous social and historical contexts, the events of 9/11 have served as a catalyst highlighting the importance of these issues today for both governments and citizens. Taking an international perspective, Caidi asks the timely question: what kind of access do citizens have to information in our increasingly global and interconnected world? Caidi looks at a variety of issues that present a threat to citizens rights, including key legislation on public information, privatizing, outsourcing, and the current climate of secrecy and surveillance. Pulling from the literature of communication, political science, public policy, and information studies, Caidi offers a fresh perspective on one of the central questions of our times: How free is the flow and exchange of information in the western world?