Step 1. Open email: All feds use an email system that is 100% searchable by anyone with an Internet connection. Call it Gmail.gov. (I can even think of a company who could provide it.)
Step 2. Open documents: All feds create all documents — correspondence, reports, etc. — in the the cloud, which, of course, can then be searched by anyone with an Internet connection.
Step 3. Open meetings: Post meeting notifications (at least 24 hours in advance) at meeting.gov. In the posting require publication of the meeting agenda/topics, invitees, location, etc. Allow members of the public to RSVP, attend, observe, and record the meeting (notes, audio, video). After the meeting, require agencies to post a detailed written summary (or podcast).
Step 4. Eliminate federal intranets (except for personnel or budget/financial purposes): Why do feds post content behind firewalls?
Step 5. Open data: Give the public read-only access to all federal databases.
Step 6. Require government contractors and registered lobbyists to conform to similar requirements.

Notice I have stopped short of requiring all phone calls to be recorded or webcams in every federal office. However, when sufficient bandwidth is universally available, that day should also come.

(Standard Disclaimer: These comments are my own, and in no way represent the views of the agency in which I’m employed, nor, for that matter, any other government agency I’m aware of, either in the U.S. or anywhere else on the planet, now or ever.)

This post was mentioned on Twitter by JohnFMoore: Good post by @cheeky_geeky, what would an always on the record govt look like? http://bit.ly/6eDwfO #gov20 #social…