Former White House new media official claims big progress

Another barrier, according to Croft, were “archaic policies” created before the existence of the Internet. Specifically, she reference the Paperwork Reduction Act, which limited the amount of engagement between the government and the public.

Croft also said before President Obama took office transparency was “not really a priority”. She claimed government websites such as Data.gov constitute “programs with actual teeth”.

“We’re not just paying lip service to the idea of transparency,” Croft said.

Critics have argued there is little new data on Data.gov and what is there is not easily usable due to the formatting. Croft said the Open Government Initiative and the emphasis on open source platforms are evidence the Administration has made transparency a governmentwide priority.