What ever happened to Open Data?

Once upon a time the UK government took pride in the fact that it was a world leader in open data. Back in 2012 the Cabinet office released a White Paper entitled ‘Unleashing the potential’ with a foreword by Paymaster General, Francis Maude boldly declaring ‘the future is Open’. The document proclaimed that ‘unfettered access to anonymised data should be extended to support improvements in the quality, choice and efficiency of healthcare, education, transport and a whole host of other public services’. More...