Access to the salaries of RTVE presenters reveals a selective transparency that directly undermines the principles of open data. While the Corporation was compelled by the Transparency Council to publish the remuneration of external figures, it continues to withhold the salaries of its direct employees, allegedly citing personal data protection. This discrepancy raises a fundamental ethical contradiction in the management of public information, where the general interest in the use of collective resources appears to be subordinated to individual privacy only in certain cases. RTVE’s resistance to disclosing this data persists even after a final ruling by the regulatory body, constituting clear administrative disobedience. By refusing to comply with transparency regulations for its permanent staff, the entity not only violates the law but also erodes public trust. This episode demonstrates how public institutions can use restrictive interpretations of privacy regulations to conceal relevant financial information, creating a double standard that favors institutional opacity. This case is crucial for the open data movement because it underscores the need for strict and uniform implementation of transparency laws. It is not enough for information to exist or be accessible to some; it must be universally available to ensure accountability. RTVE’s active opposition to the Transparency Council’s rulings exemplifies the structural challenges faced by open data advocates, who must continue to fight to ensure that public knowledge prevails over corporate secrecy in the management of state funds.

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Published on 2023-06-07