The CCLA believes that a strong access to information and protection of personal privacy regime is crucial to a vibrant democracy. Information about how our government functions assists the populace in making informed choices at the ballot box, participating meaningfully in policy discussions, and is a way to ensure that those in government are held accountable for their decisions. Privacy, on the other hand, protects a sphere of individual autonomy within which people have the right “to be let alone” and on which the state cannot intrude without permission. Democracy requires both.
A healthy democracy must counterpoise
