Tuesday, February 1, 2005

BRASILIA, Brazil —The Brazilian government announced on January 28 that the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) will have to provide the Ministry of Planning and Budget with all research data 48 hours before it is released to the press. The ministry will be responsible for checking the data before it becomes public. All government employees with previous access to IBGE data will be required to keep it private or face prosecution.

According to the announcement, the objective is to organize the flow of information according to practices adopted in several other countries. Both the government and the IBGE deny claims of censorship and data manipulation.

IBGE is an independent public agency responsible for research in Brazil.