Transparency

Transparency, as used in science, engineering, business, the humanities and in a social context more generally, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Transparency is operating in such a way that it is easy for others to see what actions are performed. For example, a cashier making change at a point of sale by segregating a customer's large bill, counting up from the sale amount, and placing the change on the counter in such a way as to invite the customer to verify the amount of change demonstrates transparency.

In many contexts "transparency" refers to the ability to see what's wrong, to see what the problems are, to see potential trouble. A frequent figure of speech is that transparency is like operating in a fish bowl.

A few months ago, a Senate committee grilled Apple CEO Tim Cook over the company’s creative accounting strategies, accusing it of cheating the U.S. Treasury by stashing away billions of dollars that live in no tax jurisdiction at all.

Corporations have one law and that is to create as much profit as possible at any cost even if that stomps all over "human rights".

One way to help correct this is to sunlight everything should corporations be required to disclose their accounting practices including offshore holdings, so that tax administrations can understand their global value chains and consumers can make informed decisions regarding any business with them.

#PRISM and Snowden has exposed that our governments cannot be trusted enough to operate without "supervision" they are even going for passwords for websites you use.

People look to government to work for them and on their behalf and provide the needed oversight on things that impact their lives. Government is most effectively when its activities are open and transparent to citizens. With open visibility into government actions and spending, people will participate in the political process and hold government officials accountable. When citizens participate in and with government, they ensure that power and public funds are used in their best interests.

Governments primary responsibility is to protect and defend its people without which it is nothing.

Open Sourced government