Who can I request information from?

WhatDoTheyKnow covers requests to 47,088 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 1,148,627 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

January 2025 News from the ATI Network

2025 definitely felt like it’s had quite the entrance and things have been full and exciting here at mySociety’s transparency team! So let’s take a look at how 2025 started...

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Access to Information Network: legal framework masterclass

If you’re trying to get the law changed, it can seem like a monumental task: where on earth do you start?  One organisation that knows the answer is Access Info...

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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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Call for participants

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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Our videos about Freedom of Information

When you should withdraw your FOI request

When you should withdraw your FOI request

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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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What are clarifications in FOI?

What are clarifications in FOI?

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Our Freedom of Information Research

Cover for: Network Rail: how accounting definitions of control can expand FOI/EIR coverage 

Network Rail: how accounting definitions of control can expand FOI/EIR coverage 

Appealing to the Court of Accountants.

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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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Cover for: Prioritising FOI complaints

Prioritising FOI complaints

Draft response to ICO consultation on how to prioritise FOI complaints

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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: 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: How many people use Freedom of Information? The numbers blog post

How many people use Freedom of Information? The numbers blog post

More details on our FOI polling, and how it compares with other polling and estimates of FOI use.

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