Open government, checks and balances, fact finding or investigative committees are pretty much shutdown or strictly limited to the information they are permitted to gather.
A private contractor deems their proposals, contracts, and business dealings with government are all proprietary information.
Proprietary information, also known as a trade secret, is information a company wishes to keep confidential. It can also be a nifty way to conceal or cover up wrong doing.
The taxpayer pays for the services of the privatized contractor or vendor but can not review the relationship or results because the info is conveniently deemed top secret by the contractor.
Think DRE electronic voting machines. No one can audit the honesty or accuracy of the voting equipment or whether it was fraudulently programmed to throw an election. Because the voting equipment, tabulators, hardware, software, and operating programs are deemed proprietary information. The voting machine manufacturer's servicing personnel are the only ones authorized to program, calibrate and service that equipment. Because the inside workings are considered top secret.
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