Most people would agree that a more open government is a good thing for our democracy. The ability to bring your issues directly to political leaders is a way to ensure that voices are heard and the concerns of average Americans are being addressed. Last month, the White House launched “We The People,” an online platform where people can create and sign petitions. If 25,000 people sign a petition, the website pledges to have someone in the Obama administration issue a public response.

Last week, The New Republic posted a provocative essay by open-information guru Lawrence Lessig, making a case to which he would seem to be antithetical: that we must temper our headlong rush into universal government transparency.