Catherine is the CEO of Creative Commons. She served previously as the CEO of the Open Knowledge Foundation and as a member of the European Parliament for Scotland from 1999 to 2019, where she was active on digital policy issues.
What can be done?
Governments and states should make sure access to information is available for everyone. The right to access information is always vital, but even more so during a health emergency. Laws are not just about guaranteeing access to information, they also provide a space in which accountability is possible and applicable to all bodies: courts, the police, and other authorities that make critical decisions on behalf of people. Proactively disclosing information helps build trust among citizens, while providing the clarity that people seek amid the infodemic.