Open data is a concept of freely available information for everyone without such restrictions as patents, copyright, and other control mechanisms. Open-data champions have objectives similar to those of open movements for other things such as software, hardware, education, government, science, knowledge, and the Internet (“Open data and privacy”, 2016). Open-data tradition is not necessarily a new concept. For instance, there has been the Mertonian tradition of science; however, the term itself is relatively recent. Despite the rise in the open-data movement, there has also been an upsurge in intellectual property rights. Governments continue to play a vital role in the open data movement. Data.gov was developed under OPEN Government Data Act; this is Title II of Foundations for the Evidence-based Policymaking Act (“Privacy and website policies”, n.d.). The website was launched in 2009 by the US government’s Chief Information Officer; its mission statement is to provide the public with high-value, machine-readable datasets. The data is also supposed to maintain privacy and security (“Privacy and website policies”, n.d.). When getting data to data.gov, federal agencies must conduct an inventory of their data the same way they would record any other asset, such as furniture. They are then required to publish the data assets that are publicly accessible. The executive branch has a role to play in the open data policy. President Obama 2009 issued a memorandum on transparency and open government; the memo had instructions to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to declare an Open Government Directive. The OMB’s role was to help form, draft, and issue directives on the president’s open government orders (“Privacy and website policies”, n.d.). The OMB was also supposed to guide agencies on implementation throughout the executive. In 2019, POTUS signed into law the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking (FEBP). The legislation consists of Open Public, Electronic, and Necessary Government (Title II) legislation; the bill passed Congress in 2018 (“Privacy and website policies ” , n.d.). It is a relief to witness significant efforts from the executive branch that is typically sidetracked by politics. Benefits and Values of Open Data Open data is valuable information that is available for use and sharing with anyone without restriction. Governments are adopting this new paradigm as a new way to communicate with their citizens. Open data comes with many benefits and values and has opened a recent debate about running government operations (Huston et al., 2019). Citizens will be on the lookout to ensure governments meet certain milestones; as a result, governments will feel the pressure and act accordingly. Increases Transparency and Accountability Open data means that members of the public will stay tuned and informed about their local governments’ operations. The open nature of this communication ensures that governments are held accountable for their results (Huston et al., 2019). Citizens can scrutinize their governments’ achievements, and their deficits, and can offer suggestions on further actions. Citizens can pressure their governments if they do not