Once upon a time, the world was a big, dysfunctional family.

由一對強而有力的父母經營，

It was run by the great and powerful parents,

而人們是無助

and the people were helpless

且不懷抱希望的調皮小孩。

and hopeless naughty children.

如果有比較吵鬧的小孩

If any of the more rowdier children questioned

質疑父母的權威，他們會被責罵。

the authority of the parents, they were scolded.

如果他們跑到父母的房間裡探險，

If they went exploring into the parents' rooms,

或者甚至跑到隱密的檔案室內，他們會被處罰，

or even into the secret filing cabinets, they were punished,

且被提醒為了他們好，

and told that for their own good

他們絕對不能再走進去。

they must never go in there again.

有一天，一個男人到鎮上來，

Then one day, a man came to town

帶著從父母的房間裡偷來的

with boxes and boxes of secret documents

裝著秘密檔案的好幾個箱子。

stolen from the parents' rooms.

「看他們一直對你們隱瞞的是什麼」他說。

"Look what they've been hiding from you," he said.

小孩們看了感到很驚奇。

The children looked and were amazed.

這些是他們父母彼此怒罵過程的

There were maps and minutes from meetings

圖像和會議記錄。

where the parents were slagging each other off.

他們的舉止就像小孩。

They behaved just like the children.

而且他們也會犯錯，就像小孩一樣。

And they made mistakes, too, just like the children.

唯一的差異是，他們的錯誤

The only difference was, their mistakes

放在秘密資料庫內。

were in the secret filing cabinets.

鎮上有一個女孩，她不認為

Well, there was a girl in the town, and she didn't think

這些資料應該放在秘密資料庫內，

they should be in the secret filing cabinets,

就算放在那裡，應該要有條法律

or if they were, there ought to be a law

允許小孩們能取得資料。

to allow the children access.

所以她打算要這麼做。

And so she set about to make it so.

我就是故事中的女孩，而我感興趣的秘密文件

Well, I'm the girl in that story, and the secret documents

就位於這座建築物中，

that I was interested in were located in this building,

也就是英國國會大廈，我要取得的資料

the British Parliament, and the data that I wanted

是國會議員的

to get my hands on were the expense receipts

開支收據。

of members of Parliament.

我想這是民主社會中要問的基本問題。(掌聲)

I thought this was a basic question to ask in a democracy. (Applause)

我不是在問核子避難所的密碼，

It wasn't like I was asking for the code to a nuclear bunker,

或者那類的事情，但我出自於尋求資訊的自由

or anything like that, but the amount of resistance I got

而遭遇到的種種阻力

from this Freedom of Information request,

會讓人以為我在問那種機密的問題。

you would have thought I'd asked something like this.

於是我花了大概五年在爭取，

So I fought for about five years doing this,

而這只是我所提的好幾百個請求中的一個。

and it was one of many hundreds of requests that I made,

事實上，我的本意不是要

not -- I didn't -- Hey, look, I didn't set out, honestly,

徹底改革英國國會。

to revolutionize the British Parliament.

那不是我的原本企圖，我只是為我第一本書的研究

That was not my intention. I was just making these requests

提了這些請求。

as part of research for my first book.

但卻演變成冗長，拖延的法律戰，

But it ended up in this very long, protracted legal battle

於是過了五年跟國會抗戰後

and there I was after five years fighting against Parliament

我站在英國最有名望的三位高等法院法官前，

in front of three of Britain's most eminent High Court judges

等待他們裁定國會是否必須釋出這些資料。

waiting for their ruling about whether or not Parliament had to release this data.

我必須誠實以告，當時我沒抱什麼希望。

And I've got to tell you, I wasn't that hopeful,

因為我已經見識過這些機關組織。我心想，

because I'd seen the establishment. I thought,

他們會聯合起來。我沒那麼幸運。

it always sticks together. I am out of luck.

猜猜看？我贏了。萬歲。(掌聲)

Well, guess what? I won. Hooray. (Applause)

但故事不是到此結束，因為問題是

Well, that's not exactly the story, because the problem was

國會一再拖延釋出資料的時間，

that Parliament delayed and delayed releasing that data,

接著他們試著回顧性地改變法律

and then they tried to retrospectively change the law

以致於法律不適用於他們。

so that it would no longer apply to them.

他們較早前通過的透明法適用於其他所有人，

The transparency law they'd passed earlier that applied to everybody else,

但他們試著保存這法律以致於他們能置身事外。

they tried to keep it so it didn't apply to them.

他們沒想到的是數位化，

What they hadn't counted on was digitization,

因為這代表著所有紙張收據

because that meant that all those paper receipts

都經過電子掃描存檔，於是若有人要

had been scanned in electronically, and it was very easy

複製整個資料檔，這是易如反掌的事，

for somebody to just copy that entire database,

插入一個磁碟，資料就流到國會外了，

put it on a disk, and then just saunter outside of Parliament,

有人確實這麼做了，接著他們將磁碟

which they did, and then they shopped that disk

賣給出價最高的競標者，也就是《每日電訊報》，

to the highest bidder, which was the Daily Telegraph,

於是，你也都記得，接下來持續好幾周的披露，

and then, you all remember, there was weeks and weeks

什麼都有，從色情電影

of revelations, everything from porn movies

浴缸塞和新的廚房

and bath plugs and new kitchens

還有從來沒有付清的貸款。

and mortgages that had never been paid off.

結果是六個大臣辭職，

The end result was six ministers resigned,

300年以來，第一個下議院議長被強迫辭職，

the first speaker of the house in 300 years was forced to resign,

根據透明化的指令，一個新政府被推選成立了，

a new government was elected on a mandate of transparency,

120個國會議員在此選舉中下台，

120 MPs stepped down at that election,

截至目前為止，四個國會議員和兩個上議院議員

and so far, four MPs and two lords

因詐欺被而坐牢。

have done jail time for fraud.

謝謝。(掌聲)

So, thank you. (Applause)

我講這個故事是因為這並不只發生在英國。

Well, I tell you that story because it wasn't unique to Britain.

這是文化衝突的例子，

It was an example of a culture clash that's happening

發生在全世界戴假髮和穿襪子的官員身上，

all over the world between bewigged and bestockinged

他們認為他們可以統治我們

officials who think that they can rule over us

而不用受到大眾的窺探，

without very much prying from the public,

接著突然間受到不滿於此種安排的

and then suddenly confronted with a public

社會大眾對質，

who is no longer content with that arrangement,

社會大眾不只是不滿足現狀，更常見地，

and not only not content with it, now, more often,

還有官方資料當靠山。

armed with official data itself.

於是我們進入資訊民主化的時代，

So we are moving to this democratization of information,

而我已經在這領域有一段時間。

and I've been in this field for quite a while.

有點難為情的自白：當我還是個孩子的時候，

Slightly embarrassing admission: Even when I was a kid,

我有小本的間諜筆記本，我所做的是

I used to have these little spy books, and I would, like,

看在我家附近每個人在做什麼，記錄下來。

see what everybody was doing in my neighborhood and log it down.

我想那是我未來選擇

I think that was a pretty good indication

作為一個調查型記者的好指標，

about my future career as an investigative journalist,

而我在這個要取得資訊的領域待了這麼久，所看到的是

and what I've seen from being in this access to information field for so long

過去大家為的是利基利益，

is that it used to be quite a niche interest,

現在這已經成為主流。全世界裡，愈來愈多人

and it's gone mainstream. Everybody, increasingly, around the world,

想要知道有權力的人在做什麼。

wants to know about what people in power are doing.

對於以他們之名和花他們金錢下所做的決定， 他們有權表達意見。

They want a say in decisions that are made in their name

我認為資訊民主化

and with their money. It's this democratization of information

就像是資訊的啟蒙期，

that I think is an information enlightenment,

它跟第一個啟蒙時代有很多相同的原則。

and it has many of the same principles of the first Enlightenment.

都是要尋找真相，

It's about searching for the truth,

不是因為有人說那是真的，「因為我這麼說。」

not because somebody says it's true, "because I say so."

不是的，而是根據你所看到的，

No, it's about trying to find the truth based on

還有可以被驗證的，來試圖找出真相。

what you can see and what can be tested.

在第一個啟蒙時代，這點引發種種問題，

That, in the first Enlightenment, led to questions about

像是國王的權利，國王統治人民的神聖正當性，

the right of kings, the divine right of kings to rule over people,

或者女性應該順從男性，

or that women should be subordinate to men,

或者教會是上帝的官方語言。

or that the Church was the official word of God.

顯然教會不樂見此情形，

Obviously the Church weren't very happy about this,

於是他們試著壓制它，

and they tried to suppress it,

但他們沒想到的是科技，

but what they hadn't counted on was technology,

接著報紙印刷出現了，

and then they had the printing press, which suddenly

突然間這些想法可以很便宜地散播出去，又遠又快，

enabled these ideas to spread cheaply, far and fast,

於是人們會聚集在咖啡店，

and people would come together in coffee houses,

討論這些想法，策畫革命。

discuss the ideas, plot revolution.

在我們的時代，我們有數位化。 刪減了資訊的實體體積，

In our day, we have digitization. That strips all the physical mass out of information,

所以現在複製和分享資訊幾乎是不需要成本的。

so now it's almost zero cost to copy and share information.

我們的報紙印刷是網際網路， 我們的咖啡店是社群網路。

Our printing press is the Internet. Our coffee houses are social networks.

我們進入我所認為的一個完整連接的系統，

We're moving to what I would think of as a fully connected system,

在這個系統內，我們可以作全球的決定，

and we have global decisions to make in this system,

關於氣候、關於財政系統、

decisions about climate, about finance systems,

關於資源等的決定。仔細想想 --

about resources. And think about it --

如果我們要做買房子的重大決定，

if we want to make an important decision about buying a house,

我們不會一次決定。我不清楚你們會怎麼做，

we don't just go off. I mean, I don't know about you,

但在我花了這麼多錢之前，我會去看很多房子。

but I want to see a lot of houses before I put that much money into it.

如果我們想到一個財政系統，

And if we're thinking about a finance system,

我們需要吸收很多的資訊。

we need a lot of information to take in. It's just not possible

一個人不可能吸收這麼大量的資訊，

for one person to take in the amount, the volume

進行分析而下對決定。

of information, and analyze it to make good decisions.

這也是為什麼我們可看到日漸增加的

So that's why we're seeing increasingly this demand

取得資訊的需求。

for access to information.

這也是為什麼我們開始看到愈來愈多的

That's why we're starting to see more disclosure laws

揭露法出現，舉例來說，在環境方面，

come out, so for example, on the environment,

有奧胡斯公約，

there's the Aarhus Convention,

這是一個歐洲的指令，賦予人們強烈的

which is a European directive that gives people

可得知的權力，於是如果你的自來水公司

a very strong right to know, so if your water company

將汙水排放到你的河流裡，

is dumping water into your river, sewage water

你有知道的權力。

into your river, you have a right to know about it.

在金融業裡，你絕對有權力

In the finance industry, you now have more of a right

知道目前發生什麼事，於是我們有

to know about what's going on, so we have

不同的反賄絡法，金錢管制，

different anti-bribery laws, money regulations,

增加的企業揭露，所以現在你可以跨界追蹤資產。

increased corporate disclosure, so you can now track assets across borders.

而且要隱藏資產，避稅，支付不平等工資都日漸困難。

And it's getting harder to hide assets, tax avoidance,

這很棒。我們正開始要在這些系統中

pay inequality. So that's great. We're starting to find out

挖掘愈來愈多的東西。

more and more about these systems.

而且這些都往中央系統移動，

And they're all moving to this central system,

這個完全連接的系統，

this fully connected system,

只缺了一個就完整了。你猜得到是哪一個嗎？

all of them except one. Can you guess which one?

它是所有其它的系統的基礎。

It's the system which underpins all these other systems.

是我們組織且操用權力的根據，

It's the system by which we organize and exercise power,

我指的是政治，因為在政治方面，

and there I'm talking about politics, because in politics,

我們回歸到這個系統，這個綜合的等級制度。

we're back to this system, this top-down hierarchy.

於是需要在此系統中的大量資訊，

And how is it possible that the volume of information

怎麼有可能會被分析呢？

can be processed that needs to in this system?

嗯，答案就是不可能。就是如此。

Well, it just can't. That's it.

我認為這是大量隱藏在我們現有不同政府的

And I think this is largely what's behind the crisis

合法性的危機底下。

of legitimacy in our different governments right now.

我已經跟你們分享一些我做過的事，

So I've told you a bit about what I did

無所不用其極地想把國會帶進

to try and drag Parliament, kicking and screaming,

21世紀，我要再說兩個

into the 21st century, and I'm just going to give you

其他我認識的人正在做的事

a couple of examples of what a few other people I know

的例子。

are doing.

有的名叫 Seb Bacon 的人。他是個電腦程式

So this is a guy called Seb Bacon. He's a computer

設計師，他架了一個叫做 Alaveteli 的網站，

programmer, and he built a site called Alaveteli,

這網站是一個資訊自由的平台。

and what it is, it's a Freedom of Information platform.

它是開放原始碼的，有文件資料，

It's open-source, with documentation, and it allows you

且允許人們提出資訊自由的請求，

to make a Freedom of Information request,

詢問相關大眾一個問題，

to ask your public body a question, so

它把所有的麻煩都刪去，我跟你保證