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Should we read gov't emails? Pa. Open Records chief addresses Sunstein, critics (Update)

Not always, argues Prof. Sunstein; Erik Arneson reviews for Pa.

Government should be "far more" transparent, showing us all the info it collects -- health threats, cost-benefit analyses, policies and regulations -- whenever this "can improve the performance of both public and private institutions," and help people "in their daily lives," writes Harvard professor Cass R. Sunstein, a veteran Internet theorist and past Obama administration official (and distant cousin of Comcast boss Brian Roberts.)

He acknowledges "intermediate" cases -- data collected to help make decisions, for example -- which Sunstein argues should be judged on classic economic welfare standards of whether disclosure benefits people.