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A web consultation launched today by government to make more data publicly available has been branded "Freedom of Information 2.0".
Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude launched the consultation on how to introduce changes that will see a host of information go online, including hospital success rates in treating particular illnesses, more education results and sentences handed to criminals.
He said the changes will seek to boost accountability, force bodies to become more transparent and create a culture of openness rather than secrecy.
Last month, the prime minister said transparency could be a "powerful tool to reform public services, foster innovation and empower citizens".
Maude said: "We want to get away from a position where data gets released as result of pushing and pulling to a position where we drive it out to put power in the hands of the public, where we are open by default."
He added: "This is all data that should be available anyway."
The Freedom of Information Act, enacted in 2004, enables anyone to ask questions and expect answers from a range of public bodies.
Maude said: "This goes in the same direction, but will be much more open and widely available. It's freedom of information 2.0 - it's entirely complementary."
The Cabinet Office minister denied that the changes would lead to an information overload, or that people would be unable to find the facts relevant to them.
And he said he hope that the changes would be irreversible as citizens called for more data to make informed decisions.
Public views have been called for on transparency standards that enforce the right to data, how public service providers might be held to account for delivering data and how far the government might be able to stimulate markets in its use.
Alongside business minister Ed Davey, Maude also launched a public consultation on creating a public data corporation that would provide more open access for data held by government bodies.
Davey, said: "Britain has always been a leader in the global knowledge economy, but now more than ever we need to make the best use of the information and data that we possess to stimulate economic growth.
"A clear data policy for the new Public Data Corporation is a necessary first step, and we want to hear people's views on how it should work."
The consultation is available at www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
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