Who can I request information from?

WhatDoTheyKnow covers requests to 46,967 authorities, including:

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Looking for an EU Authority?

You can request documents directly from EU Institutions at our sister site AskTheEU.org . Find out more .

AskTheEU.org

What information has been released?

WhatDoTheyKnow users have made 1,117,741 requests, including:

Browse all requests →

What is Freedom of Information?

Make a request for information to a UK public authority.
By law, they have to respond.

The Freedom of Information Act, also known as FOI gives you the right to request recorded information from public authorities.

As well as documents and emails, it also covers things like spreadsheets, presentations, maps, videos and photographs.

By law requests have to be answered promptly and within 20 working days.

In most cases information should be released, but various exemptions allow authorities to withhold information.

Learn more about the Freedom of Information act →

How do I use Freedom of Information?

From coach drop off points to national borders; modern slavery to council sell-offs, Freedom of Information is a tool that everyone can use. Individual or community group; journalist or campaigner. National or local; every day or now and then. Here are just a few of the ways that it can help…

🔍 Find the evidence: Survey responses, research reports and board papers can help you to uncover the truth behind decisions and public statements.

⚖️ Compare and contrast: Compare the situation in your local area with what’s happening in other parts of the country and highlight disparities or similarities.

💰 Follow the money: Contracts, invoices and budget information let you see where public money goes, ensuring greater accountability for how funds are allocated and spent.

🧩 Fill in the gaps: You can ask a group of authorities to build or extract a dataset that didn't exist. This can fill knowledge gaps and improve public understanding of specific issues.

🤔 Understand why: Meeting minutes, policy papers and internal correspondence can help you to understand why important decisions were taken, and who is accountable for those decisions.

☀️ Promote openness: Asking for datasets can help to show that there is public demand to see it, which might persuade the authority to publish it routinely without needing to be asked.

Read our case studies for some great examples of how others have put these ideas to use.

How does WhatDoTheyKnow help?

🔀 Find the right authority: A database of 46,000+ public bodies, kept up to date by a team of staff and volunteers.

🗂️ Public archive: A permanent, searchable, public record of over one million information requests and responses.

✍️ Write your request: Inline guidance and a collection of help pages to help write your request.

🤖 Automate bureaucracy: Built in assistance and reminders to manage your request from submission to completion.

🏟️ Correspond in public: Requests and responses are automatically published online with proof of delivery to hold authorities accountable to respond.

🛑 Refusal advice: Encouragement, support, guidance and snippets to help challenge refusals at internal review, regulator appeal and tribunal(soon).

Learn more about WhatDoTheyKnow. Want to know something? Start your own request →

Latest news and campaigns

November 2024 Notes from the ATI network

As this will be the last monthnotes of 2024 (because on New Years Eve we’ll be looking back at the past year and toasting to the wonderful strides we’ve all...

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mySociety wants to help you use FOI in a campaign or advocacy project mySociety has the capacity to support a limited number of organisations working with marginalised populations in the...

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October’s News from the ATI Network

All of us working on Access to Information here at mySociety were extremely saddened to hear of the death of Helen Darbishire on October 18th. Helen was one of the...

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Welcome to autumn, and as we have breezed past Right To Know day let’s take a look at what the Access to Information network have been up to this month....

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Our videos about Freedom of Information

What does a best case scenario FOI request look like?

What does a best case scenario FOI request look like?

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Climate Emergency UK on press pitches: summary

Climate Emergency UK on press pitches: summary

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Lost in Europe: deploying the Alaveteli network on a cross-border investigation

Lost in Europe: deploying the Alaveteli network on a cross-border investigation

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Our Freedom of Information Research

Cover for: FOI and appeals to the regulator

FOI and appeals to the regulator

How do appeals to ICO and OSIC vary in outcome and time taken?

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Cover for: Mapping the online Access To Information network in Europe

Mapping the online Access To Information network in Europe

Mapping Access to Information website challenges and successes in Europe

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Cover for: Response to STAIRs consultation

Response to STAIRs consultation

mySociety response to a consultation on access to information scheme for social tenants

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Cover for: Exploring information about Freedom of Information in the UK

Exploring information about Freedom of Information in the UK

Explore FOI statistics for UK central government and Scotland.

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Cover for: FOI Reform in Scotland

FOI Reform in Scotland

Response to consultation on Private Members Bill

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Cover for: Using Access to Information to support social change

Using Access to Information to support social change

A look at how organisations which support marginalised communities use and request information from public bodies, what the information unlocks and what mySociety can do to better support this use of access to information.

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