Obama blocks transparency on recovery.gov

That’s just one of several reported transparency and related problems with the stimulus bill, but let’s tackle it first.

A sneaky text file embedded at recovery.gov initially prevented Google, and other search engines, from indexing content on the site. And, no, don’t tell me this was accidental. The file was embedded for three hours, then removed; all the biggie tech-type online mags seemed to have picked up on this.

But, the MSLBs haven’t. Surprised?

(As CNET notes, the file was just three lines of text, and was written expressly for the purpose of blocking web-crawling.)

Oh, this is far and away from the first time the Obama Administration has used the robots.txt file to block crawling of various government websites.

That said, Chris Soghoian says don’t judge Team Obama’s commitment, or lack thereof, to transparency just by the robots.txt file usage.

Of course, Chris earlier commented on the White House allowing YouTube tracking cookies on government websites.

Meanwhile, uberconservative writer Byron York smells a RAT – namely, the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, or the RAT Board, in the stimulus bill.

If York is even half right in his worries, about how the RAT board has the power to try to get Cabinet department and Federal agency inspectors general to curtail investigations…

It’s scary.

For a generic overview of recovery.gov, go here.