Wall Street Journal Digits Blog

By WSJ STAFF

The Personal Democracy Forum, an annual conference about the intersection of politics and technology, has attracted an all-star lineup this year. The conference opened with a Skype presentation by Michael Bloomberg and a discussion on whether Obama "revolutionized campaigning" with new media and tech innovations during the presidential race.

But moderator Andrew Rasiej drew the strongest audience reaction when he suggested that the term "public" be redefined as readable and searchable online. Government information made public should be readily accessible, and "not just in a drawer in Washington." His comment elicited flurry of Twitter activity in support, projected overhead on the Rose Theater stage; one person tweeted that it was the first innovative idea he'd heard all morning.

Rasiej also previewed tomorrow morning's conversation with the Obama administration's Chief Information Officer, Vivek Kundra - the discussion on the data.gov project to increase access to public data will be one to watch. "The public should be allowed to see a bill 72 hours before" it's voted on, Rasiej said, to applause.

-- Kimberly Chou