Transparency is one of the eight spokes of the Pirate Wheel, meaning that every individual has the right to examine how authorities are handling the power vested in them by the people.

This principle means that every person has the right to know every piece of action and every justification for those actions taken in his or her name. Officials work for the people, and not the other way around, as described in Empowerment.

Non-conditional. Authorities may not diminish the people’s right to transparency through permitization or other conditioning. Nothing must be demanded in exchange for transparency documentation — specifically including address, identity, or money. Anybody may request documentation anonymously and untraced.

Public documentation. Transparency documentation may always be freely shared as public documents and analyzed in public or private without constraint.

Observation and documentation. Apart from being able to request documents and justifications from authorities, all individuals are always allowed to document what they observe firsthand and to share those observations. Being a paramount safeguard, there are no exceptions to this.

Whistleblower protection. People who leak information to the public from publicly funded activities — even if run by a private contractor — must be protected for doing so. As anybody can be a journalist, there is no distinction here in to where or whom the information is leaked.

Updated 2011-Nov-13.