Via my feeds, a handful of consultations and codes relating to open data, particularly in a local government context:

• first up, from the Cabinet Office, an open consultation on FOI data-release guidelines (see also the press release and draft code of practice); this relates to ways of handling the changes to the Freedom of Information Act that will come in to force in April 2013 that arise from the changes introduced through the Protection of Freedoms Act earlier this year;
• from DCLG, a consultation under the banner of “Improving Local Government Transparency” that takes a look at matters arising from making the Code of recommended practice for local authorities on Data Transparency mandatory [PDF] (here’s a copy of the The Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency, which “sets out key principles for local authorities in creating greater transparency through the publication of public data”, where “‘Public data’ therefore means the objective, factual data, on which policy decisions are based and on which public services are assessed, or which is collected or generated in the course of public service delivery.”);
• from the Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information (APPSI), we have A National Information Framework for Public Sector Information and Open Data (I saw this via a Guardian commentary piece).

Also of note this week, the ICO published its Anonymisation: managing data protection risk code of practice [PDF] (here’s the press release). ENISA, the European Network and Information Security Agency, have also just published the latest in a series of reports on privacy: Privacy considerations of online behavioural tracking. My colleague Ray Corrigan has done a quick review here.

Although it’s hard to know who has influence where, to the extent that the UK’s Open Government Partnership National Action Plan suggests a general roadmap for open government activity, this is maybe worth noting: Involve workshops: Developing the UK’s next open government National Action Plan

For a recent review of the open data policy context, see InnovateUK’s Open Data and it’s role in powering economic growth.

(I’ll update this post with a bit more commentary over the next few days. For now, I thought I’d share the links in case any readers out there fancy a bit of weekend reading…;-)

PS though not in the news this week, here are a couple of links to standing and appealed case law around database IPR:
– background – OKF review of data/database rights and Out-law review of database rights
– (ongoing) Court of Justice of European Union Appeal – Football Dataco and others: are football event listings protected? (context and commentary on review.)
– case law: The British Horseracing Board Ltd and Others v William Hill (horse-racing information) (commentary by out-law).