Maybe as a start, we can just track what has changed throughout the different revisions of ACTA. Maybe this is something you could do as part of your hackathon.
I'm picking ACTA as it's something that is relatively current and at the forefront of people's minds right now.
This might be true. Why does everyone seem to assume that it would be a good thing?
The flip side is that large, money backed entities could also use FUD to manipulate citizens into shooting down clauses in bills.
Imagine in your mind some special interest groups. Powerful special interest groups. The most powerful special interest groups. Are you imagining, e.g., the permanent civil service, academics, scientists, Medicare and Social Security recipients, and homeowners? Probably not. And yet, there they are. One of the greatest tricks of the most powerful interest groups has been to convince the world that, Keyser Söze–like, they don't even exist. And, unfortunately, you can't give citizens the power to eliminate pork without unleashing these hungry pigs upon the trough.
His README proposes a similar law patching idea.
I wonder how much will technology close the gap between society and its actual constituents.
Really useful stuff if you need to know what the legislature is up to.
http://www.quora.com/What-can-lawmakers-learn-from-computer-...
Now if they could implement it successfully.
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I find this quote fascinating. This would be fantastic if it actually gained traction. It would democratize the process of actually writing a bill. People could actually vote for/against sections for inclusion.