Open Government was published in 2010 by O'Reilly Media. The United States had just elected a president in 2008, who, on his first day in office, issued an executive order committing his administration to "an unprecedented level of openness in government." The contributors of Open Government had long fought for transparency and openness in government, as well as access to public information. Aaron Swartz was one of these contributors (Chapter 25: When is Transparency Useful?). Aaron was a hacker, an activist, a builder, and a respected member of the technology community. O'Reilly Media is making Open Government free to all to access in honor of Aaron. #PDFtribute

-- Tim O'Reilly, January 15, 2013