The Mexican government is pursuing legal reforms to dismantle the National Institute for Transparency, Access to Information and Personal Data Protection (INAI), transferring its powers to the Secretariat of Public Administration under the guise of reducing redundancy. This move targets a critical institution responsible for ensuring transparency and protecting personal data, reflecting a broader hostility toward independent oversight bodies. Experts warn that this shift eliminates essential technical checks on executive power, likely leading to decreased accessibility and lower quality of public information. By attacking autonomous organs, the administration undermines institutional integrity and signals a preference for centralized control over democratic accountability mechanisms. This development is vital for open data because it threatens the foundational framework that enables citizens to access government information. Weakening transparency institutions jeopardizes the availability of reliable public data, which is crucial for civil society, journalists, and researchers who depend on these resources to hold power accountable and drive informed decision-making.
Source:Published on 2023-04-29